
(ilass^.SXl5i 



PRACTICAL 



OR, -7'T' . 

r r^- k' .■•'': 



TTie-TTayeWeT's Poc\$.et Com^anioB. 



SHEWING 

THE BEST METHOD TO PRESERVE THE HORSE 
IN HEALTH; 

AND 

LIKEWISE THE CURE OF THE MOST PROMINENT DISEASES TO 

WHICH THIS NOBLE ANIMAL IS SUBJECT, IN THE 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 

The whole being the result of nearly forty years' experience, 
with an extensive practice. 



To assist great nature in her wond'rous plan, 
Should be the study and pursuit of nian. 



SECOND EDITION, 

Much enlarged, and embellished loith three engravings. 



BY WILLIAM CARVER, FARRIER: 

OF NEW-rORK. 






075 >■*' 



PHILADELPHIA: 

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY MCARTY & DAVIS, 
South East coiner of Race and Ninth street. 

1820. 



EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA, to wit: 

Be it Remembered, That on the thirteenth day of May, 
*####*## in the forty-fourth year of the Independence 

* T c * ""'f the United States of America, A D. 1820, 

* • I M'Carty & Davis, of the said district, have de- 
******** posited in this office the title of a book, the 

right whereof they claims as proprietors, in the words fol- 
lowing to wit: 

" Practical Horse Farrier; or The Traveller's Pocket 
" Companion: Shewing the best method to preserve the 
*' Horse in health — and, likewise, rhe cure of the most pro- 
*' minent diseases to which this noble animal is subject, in 
" the United States of America. The whole being tie re- 
" suit of nearly forty years' experience, with an extensive 
'* practice. To assist great nature in her wond'rous plan, 
" should be the study and pursuit of man. Second edition, 
*• much enlarged, and embellished with three engravings: 
** By William Carver, farrier, of New-York " 

" In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United 
States, entitiiled, " An Act for the encouragement of learn- 
ing, by securing the copies of niaps, charts and books, to 
the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times 
therein mentioned." And also to the act, entitled, "An 
Act supplementary to an act, entitled. An Act for the 
encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, 
charts and books to the authors and proprietors of such 
copies, during the times therein mentioned, and extending 
the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and 
etching historical and other prints." 

D CALDWELL, 
Clerk of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 




CONTENTS. 



fiage. 
Plat€, shewing the Skeleton of the Horse, - 10 

Plate, shewing the Intestines, - - 13 

Plate, shewing the Horse's teeth and age by them 15 

Preface, --- - - -17 

CHAPTER I. 

Some generel direction^ in regard to the manage- 
ment and care of some Horses, - - 26 

CHAPTER II. 

On Bleeding, Purging, &c. - - 31 

CHAPTER III. 
Of Colds, ... - 39 

CHAPTER IV. 
Of Fevers, . ^ . . . - 43 

CHAPTER V. 

Of the Pleurisy, and Inflammation of the lungs, 45 

CHAPTER VI. 

Of a Cough, and Asthma, - - 49 



4 eONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VII. 

fiage. 
Of an Apoplexy, or Staggers, - - 53 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Of the Strangles, - - - 57 

CHAPTER IX. 

Of the Diseases of the Eyes, - . 59 

CHAPTER X. 

Of the Farcin, or Farcy, - - - 61 

CHAPTER XI. 

Of the Yellows, or Jaundice, - - 6r 

CHAPTER XIL 

Of the Cholic, or Gripes - - - 69 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Of Worms and Bots, - - - - 73 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Of Wounds in general, - - - 77" 

CHAPTER XV. 

Of the Locked Jaw, - - - 85 

t CHAPIER XVI. 

Of Strains, in various parts, - - 91 



CONTENTS. 5 

* CHAPTER XVII. 

fiage. 
Of Bone and Blood Spavin, - - 95 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Of the Pole Evil, and Fistula, - - 99 

CHAPTER XIX. 

On Shoeing, - - - - - 103 

CHAPTER XX. 
Of Founder, - - - - 115 

CHAPTER XXI. 
OfSplents, 119 

CHAPTER XXII. 
Of a Curb and Ring Bone, - - - 121 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Of the Grease, - - - . 123 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Of Scratches, . - - - - 127 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Of Sand Cracks and Quittors, - - 129 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

Of Relax and Scouring, - - • tZ^ 

a2 



6 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

fiage. 
Of the Disorders of the Kidneys and Bladder, 13 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Of Alterative Medicines, - - ISr 

CHAPTER XXIX. 
Of Consumption, - - - - 141 

CHAPTER. XXX. 

Of Scratches, Rat-tails, &c. - - 143 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

On the Blood and Pulse of the Horse, 147 

CHAPTER XXXIL 

Of the Running Thrush and Canker, - 151 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 
Of the Diseases of the Feet, - t55 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 
Of Colds, &c. - 159 

CHAPTER XXXV. 

Ofa Broken Wind. - 163 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Of Surfeits, Hide-bound, and Mange, - 169 



CONTENTS. 7 

CHAPTER XXXVIL 

page. 

Disease of the Mouth and Tongue, - 177 

CHAPTER XXXVIII 

Nicking, Docking, and Cropping, - 1^3 

APPENDIX. 

Advice to purchasers of Horses, with in- 
structions how to ascertain the age of the 

horse by his teeth, and otherwise, - 191 

The Stallion, - - - - - 224 

Breeding Mares, - - , ■ ^ 227 

Parts of a Horse's Body, - = - 232 

Signs of Disease in Horses » > 238 

Conclusion, , . . , 247 



10 



Carver^s Farrier, 




€arver^s Farrier, 11 

DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES. 
PLATE I. 

SHOWING THE SKELETON OF THE HORSE. 

A. The head, including all its parts as articulated with 
the neck. 

C. The hunnerus, or shoulder bone. 

D. The bones of the leg, or fore-arm, consisting in each 

of the radius and ulna, 

E. The joints of the knees, with the small ranges of bones. 
G. The shank-bones, consisting in each of the cannon 

bone, and the two metacarpal, or splent-Dones. 
H. The great pastern bones, with the two sesamoid 

bones of each fetlock. 
I. The lesser pastern bones. 
K. The bones of the feet, consisting in each of the coffin 

and navicular bones, with the lateral ca tiluges. 
L. The bones of the pelvis, called ossa innomiuaia. 
M. The thigh-bones. 
N. Tlie bones of the hind-legs ; consisting in each of the 

tibia and the fibula. 

0. The points of the hocks. 

P. The small bones of the hocks. 

Q- The bones of the insteps ; consisting, in each, of the 

cannon bone and two metatarsal bones. 
R. The great pasterns and sesamoid bones of the hind 

legs. 
S. The little pastern bones of the hind-legs, 
T. The coffin and navicular bones of eacli hind-foot, with 

the lateral c.irtilages. 
V. The sternum, or breast-bone. 
X. The point of the sternum. 
Y. The ribs. 

Z. The cartilaginous ends of the ribs on the breast and 

abdomen, 

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. The seven vertebrae of the neck. 

1. The eighteen vertebrae of the thorax and back. 

2. The six vertebrae of the loins. 

3. The five spines of the os sacrum, 

The eigh teen joints of the coxendix and tail. 



12 Carver'' s Farrier, 



PLATE II. 



Representing the intestines of the horse as they appear in 

theii* natural situation, when the abdomen is laid open. 

AAAAAA. The colon, with its various circumvolutions 

and windings together with its numerous folds, and 

under which lie the small intestine. 

B. Tlie coecum or blind gut. 

C, The rectum. 



Carver^ s Farrier 



XIll 




Carver'' s Farrier, 

State ot a Colt's teeth, from 3 months to 3 years old. 



XV 




A. thcJPincers 

B . t/tejSeparat&rs 



Q.ihe Corners 
iy,theTus7cs 





Fhe age of the horse determined by the 'I'eeth. 



PREFACE. 



The author of the following treatise is 
aware that his work will meet with objec- 
tions, on account of there having been 
many large volumes published on Farriery 
by men of science, who were acquainted 
with the dead languages. It was on this 
ground that he thought the undertaking 
more necessary, as the greater part of those 
that are owners of the noble animal, the 
horse, are, like himself, unacquainted with 
the Greek and Latin. And he believes 
that the anatomy of the horse, as well as 
the human body, can be as well understood 
and defined, by the language of our own 
mother tongue, as by the dead languages :^ 
Yes, and that those languages only serve 

B 2 



XVIU PREFACEc 

the purpose of those who wish to keep 
the world in ignorance, and profit by the 
credulity of others. For my part, I believe 
that neither the Greeks nor Latins taught 
their pupils the languages of any other na- 
tions : at least I never saw an author, that 
informed me that they did so. 

It is probable, by this time, the reader 
may think that I am an enemy to science 
and a friend to ignorance — ^but the case is 
otherwise. I should feel myself happy to 
see science flourish, stripped of her grab of 
mystery and quackery : and if the Veteri- 
nary College of London had pursued this 
laudable method, Mr. Blaine, and his co- 
temporaries in that college, would have 
deserved immortal praise : But their books 
are at too high a price for the common 
reader to purchase — ^and too voluminous 
to be read — and too obscure to be under- 
stood, but by those who have had a clas- 
sical education. 

I have been an eye witness to the dread- 
ful effects of the ignorance of those who 
have undertaken to doctor the horse, both 
in this country and England. A coach- 
man who lived with a gentleman in this 



PREFACE. XiK 

city, undertook to bleed one of his employ- 
er's horses in the mouth, and, as there is 
a large artery that comes from the heart 
into the mouth, the man had cut that ar- 
tery asunder and could not stop the blood, 
and the horse had continued to bleed for 
two hours before he was brought to me, 
and it was with gi'eat difficulty that I stop- 
ped it : and believe that the horse could 
not have lived ten minutes longer if the 
blood had not stopped, as the poor animal 
was struck all over with a cold sweat, and 
trembled like a leaf. 

One more instance I will relate, which 
is, that a groom belonging to a gentleman 
in this city, also undertook to clean the 
yard of his master's horse — in doing which 
he drew down the yard beyond its natu- 
ral extremity, which overstrained the lead- 
ing tendons, or nerves of the yard, like a 
violin string that is overdrawn, and has 
lost its elasticity, so that the animal had 
not power to draw it back to its place* 
When the man brought the horse to me 
he said, Mr. Carver, what is the matter 
with this horse ? I told him immediately 
that he had forced down the yard with 



XX PREFACE. 

his hand, beyond its natural position : He 
at first denied the fact — but on my insist- 
ing on its being the case, he confessed, 
and begged that I would not . inform his 
master how it had happened ; by applying 
restringent medicines, I brought the yard 
to perform its natural functions. It w^as a ju- 
dicious remark of Lord Pembroke, when he 
said — " Any gentleman who permitted his 
groom to administer any thing more to his 
horses, than messes or warm gruel, would 
soon find himself on foot.'' 

I am certain that there are persons in 
this city, who undertake to doctor the 
horse, that cannot either read or write 
their own names — and consequently know 
nothing of the quality or powder of medi- 
cine ; and I have seen them apply a re- 
stringent, when they should have applied 
a relaxative : In consequence of this igno- 
rance, they cannot consult the state of the 
blood of the horse, which is the first thing 
to be considered in all kinds of fevers. 
And I furthermore believe, that they know 
not where to find the pulse veins — or how 
many times the pulse beats in a minute, in 
order to judge of the state of the animal, 
they pretend to cure. 



PREFACE, XXI 

I have read a great number of authors 
who have attempted to describe the method 
or best manner of shoeing the horse ; and 
they have given what was, in their opini- 
ons, the form or the shape of the shoe 
that should be placed on the foot ; but I 
have found by long experience, that they 
for want of practice, have been, almost all 
of them, very erroneous : the author that 
comes nearest to the point, so as to pre- 
serve the foot, is Clark. As shoeing the 
horse is a most essential point to be con- 
sidered, I have attempted to describe the 
best method that I have discovered, in 
thirty year's practice, in the chapter on 
shoeing : and this 1 think the more neces- 
sary, as I have witnessed the dreadful, and 
the most evil consequences, of horses be- 
ing placed in the hands of unexperienced 
shoers in this city. I have known smiths 
to open shops, and undertake to shoe 
horses, who never had shod a horse in 
their lives ; and the result has been, that the 
feet have been ruined, and the horses have 
been obliged to be turned to pasture, in 
order that nature might replace the injured 
foot. The most celebrated authors, and 



XXU PREFACE. 

judges of horses, have considered the 
knowledge of the foot, and the manner of 
shoeing, as very essential points : Bracken 
has said — no foot, no horse : and Mr. 
Blaine, of the Veterinary College of Lon- 
don, says — that he would not trust many 
of the pretended shoers, to drive a single 
Tiail in the foot of his horse. And, for my 
own part, I would not permit three fourths 
of the smiths, of this city, to take off a sin- 
gle shoe from my horse's foot, was I 
not present at the time. 

I presume the public will consider 
that I have not written this small treatise 
with a view of deriving any pecuniary ad- 
vantage, as I am now arrived at an advanced 
period of life ; but that my only object is 
that of being useful to those who are in 
possession of that useful animal, the horse. 
And as there are thousands in this city, 
and in the United States, whose whole de- 
pendance for the support of themselves 
and families, is on the health and labour 
that they derive from the horse ; and gen- 
tlemen who travel, are often retarded on 
their journey, owing to the misconduct of 
those that take charge of their horses — or 



PREFACE XXlll 

by the smiths that shoe them : I therefore 
believe, that this small pocket companion 
will enable the traveller to set both the 
groom and the smith right, when they 
have comitted errors, or prevent their com- 
mitting any 

It is probable that this publication will 
be criticised on, and in a measure con- 
demned, by those that profess themselves 
judges of orthography and grammar ; but 
the only apology that I shall make, is, that 
the common reader in general will under- 
stand my meaning, or ideas, and this is 
grammar and orthography sufficient for 
them. I know that Bailey, Sheridan, and 
Johnson, have told us that each svllable 
must be spelt with such and such letters 
and vowels ; and that they must be pro- 
nounced in such and such a manner, with 
such a tone of voice ; but I find that what 
is called grammar in one century, is con- 
demned in an other — As a proof of this, let 
any one refer to books that were published 
one or two centuries past — let them read 
Sidney on Government, Fox's Martyrs, 
or any old authors, and they will find that 
the language or grammar materially differs 



XXIV PREFACE. 

from that of the present day : a word spok- 
en, that can be understood, is far better 
than ten thousand words spoken in a lan- 
guage that cannot be understood. Had I 
been acquainted with the Greek or Latin 
languages, or terms of art and obscurity of 
expression, I should have avoided them as 
much as possible. I am more desirous of 
being intelligible to the meanest capacity, 
than ambitious of writing in what is called 
a polished style, to which I make no pre- 
tensions — on this account I expect indul- 
gence from the candid reader. It will be 
found that I have given but few receipts, 
and those that are given have been proved 
by experience. I have been always oppos- 
ed to giving a variety, or complication of 
medicines, either to man or beast ; for, 
should not few medicines be found to re- 
lieve the patient in a short time, it is better 
to leave nature to struggle with infirmities, 
as she at times performs wonders : this I 
have proved by the horse — likewise by my 
own family, as I am my own family physi- 
cian, and have been for more than twenty 
years past ; and, during that time, I have 
not paid five dollars to any one of the facul- 
ty to attend them, although they (as is 



PREFACE. XXV 

common to mankind) have had their share 
of sickness. If man would but take the 
trouble to examine and think for himself, 
he might then be his own physician, and 
save himself a great deal of expense. I 
would reccommend every father of a fa- 
mily to provide himself with Buchan's Do- 
mestic Medicine, and the Edinburgh Dis- 
pensatory. — The assistance of these books, 
and study, v/ill, in most cases, supersede 
the necessity of employing a physician. 

Although there are a great number of 
horses kept in this city, I do not find one 
citizen that makes the economy or welfare 
of the horse so much his study that he 
might examine this work, or to whom I 
might dedicate it. I therefore dedicate it 
to the public at large, leaving them to judge 
of its merits, and my experience or veraci- 
ty. I have given in the appendix a most 
valuable receipt for the pleurisy, or pain in 
the back or side, for the human species. 
This receipt I have communicated to 
many gentlemen of the faculty, which they 
have proved to have the desired effect. 

WILLIAM CARVER. 

New Tork^ November Sd^ 1818. 

c 



CHAPTER I. 

Some general directions^ in regard to the ma- 
nagement and care of Horses » 

The horse, by nature, is doomed to roam 
at large in the woods or fields, and, while re- 
maining in this state, his wants are easily 
supplied, and his diseases are few ; but, when 
broup'ht into a domesticated state, his dis- 
eases are many and his wants are great, and 
he requires the fostering hand of care and di- 
ligence to keep and preserve him in health. 
It should be observed to give horses as few 
medicines as possible, and not follow the ri- 
diculous custom of frequently bleeding and 
purging, when the horse is in perfect health. 

Proper dressing, feeding, and exercise will 
alone cure many disorders, and prevent most. 
Proper care should be taken to procure good 
sweet hay and oats, for, should either of these 
articles be either musty or foul, they will af- 
fect his lungs, and at times, cause him to be 
broken winded ; and, what is commonly call- 



Carver'' s Farrier, 27 

ed shorts or bran, is frequently in a state of 
fermentation before it is given to the horse, 
and this is what I apprehend to be the cause 
of so many horses dying with the worms, or 
bots. If a small portion of clean cut straw 
be given, either with oats or bran, it will have 
a tendency to eradicate those insects. 

All stables should be ventilated, so as to 
admit a free and constant circulation of fresh 
air; for without this, the horse is constantly 
breathing, or taking into his stomach or lungs, 
the foul air that arises from the dung, urine,- 
or the perspiration that flies from the body 
of the horse ; and, when the stable is crowd- 
ed with horses, the eflluvia must arise to a 
high degree, which, of course, will give rise 
to the most malignant fevers, and also chro- 
nick complaints. 

Having visited many stables in this city, I 
have found many stalls where horses have 
stood in their dung, to the thickness of six 
or seven inches, which I could attribute to 
nothing but the indolence of those that had 
the care of horses committed to them. And 
I have likewise observed, that horses stand- 
ing in this situation, have fallen back in their 
stalls as far as their halters would permit ; 
and this was done, in order that the poor 



28 Carver^s Farrier* 

animal might escape the fume that was con- 
stantly arising and flying into his nostrils, 
every time that he drew his breath. I have 
given this hint, in order that the owners and 
lovers of horses might attend to this, and have 
the neglect remidied. 

All stables should admit of a sufficient 
quantity of light, as nature has provided this 
for the benefit of both man and beast. All 
horses, standing in dark stables, are liable to 
have their sight affected; as asudden transition 
from a state of total darkness to the brilliancy 
of that of the sun, at noonday, will have a pow- 
erful effect upon the optics of the eye, and 
will cause excessive pain, and probably, in 
time, the total loss of sight. As to the cus- 
tom that is prevailing in this city, in regard 
to the blanketing of horses, and driving them 
with the blankets on their bodies through 
rain and snow, must certainly be pernicious 
to the health of the animal — as the labour 
that they perform will cause a perspiration, 
and consequently the pores of the skin are 
more open than they are while remaining in 
a state of inactivity ; therefore, the water that 
is contained in the blanket must be absorbed 
into the system of the horse, which, accord- 
ing to reason, must make the horse liable to 



Carver'* s Farrier. 29 

colds, and stiff limbs, or what is commonly 
called founder. If nature, that is complete 
in her works, had destined the horse to wear 
blankets, she would have sent him covered 
with them ! When the horse is standing in 
the stable, if he must have a blanket, it should 
be a light one, and not two or three at one 
time, with a broad roller girted tight,' as 
grooms will tell us, in order to take up the 
belly, as they call it, which prevents the ex- 
pansion of the lungs, and causes the animal 
to breath with difficulty. — Blankets should 
be taken along with the traveller, and thrown 
on when the horse stops on the road. 

Common observation teaches us that na- 
ture, at proper seasons of the year, designed 
the pasture for the horse, and the horse for 
the pasture ; therefore, if the horse could 
possibly be spared for two or three weeks, in 
the month of May or June, he ought of course 
to be turned out to roam at large. 

A proper degree of exercise is of the ut- 
most conseejuence, to keep the horse in per- 
fect health and vigour ; but a horse should 
never be rode hard, or put on violent exer- 
cise, when his belly is full of feed or water 
— move him gently at first, and he will natu- 
rally mend his pace. Many diseases are 

c2 



30 Carver^ s Farrier, 

brought on for want of proper exercise. I 
have seen horses that have stood in their stalls 
for two or three months, without being ex- 
ercised at all, and by this neglect, they have 
fell victims to the lock-jaw, and farcy. Na- 
ture demands exercise, as well for the ani- 
mal as the human species, in order to keep 
the blood and fluids in circulation. 

It must certainly be obvious to every one 
of common understanding, that great care 
should be taken, that after a horse has had 
violent exercise, or come off a hard journey, 
that he cools not too fast — ^that he drinks no 
cold water, and that he is not washed with 
cold water, which is too often practised in this 
country, by those that have the care of hor- 
ses, in order to save the labour of rubbing 
and cleaning of them ; and it should likewise 
be observed, that their feet should not be 
permitted to stand in a damp or wet stall, 
which will have a tendency to bring on a 
founder. 



CHAPTER IT. 

On Bleedings Furging^ bV. 

Those horses that have been standing long, 
in the stable, and have been full fed, require 
at times to be bled and physicked, especially 
when their eyes look heavy, dull, and inflam- 
ed, as also when they feel hotter than usual, 
and mangle or waste their hay. But the cases 
that chiefly require bleeding, are colds, fevers 
of most kinds, falls, bruises, hurts of the eyes, 
and all inflammatory disorders. All horses 
should be bled by measure, in order to know 
the quantity that is taken away: — two or three 
quarts is always enough at one time, but 
must be repeated in case of the pleurisy, 
which may be known by the blackness of the 
blood, which should be carefully examined, 
when cold, to see whether black, florid, sizy, 
&CC. The neck is the safest place to bleed, 
or in what is commonly called the jugular 
vein : and it should be observed to bleed 
near the head, and not, as is frequently done, 
down the middle of the neck, which will 
often cause a swelled neck, if not a mortifi- 



32 Carve fs Farrier. 

cation in the vein. During the course of my 
practice, I have been obliged to take off a 
part of the jugular vein of the neck of two hor- 
ses, owing to their having been struck too 
low down the neck, when bled by unexpe- 
rienced hands ; and to perform what is com- 
monly called netting the vein, which is done 
by tying the vein with a silk thread, at a cer- 
tain distance, in two places, so as to ad- 
mit of the cutting away, between the two 
threads, that part of the vein which was in 
a state of mortification; and, by this me- 
thod, I saved the lives of both the horses. 
All blood should be drawn from the part 
where there is least danger, which is the 
vein I have described, and not on the 
thigh vein, or the corinett of the foot, or the 
mouth. All blood flow^s from the heart, let 
it be taken from what part of the body it may ; 
but, in case of a shoulder sprain, I have 
found it beneficial to bleed in what is called 
the plate vein, which is a large vein on the 
inside of the fore legs ; and, in case of a 
founder, I have drawn blood from the toes of 
the fore feet. 

The first purge that is given to a horse 
should be mild, in order to know his consti- 
tution. It is a mistake, that if a purge, pro- 



Caf"uer^s Farrier. 33 

perly prepared, does not work according to 
expectation, the horse will be injured by it. 
Although it may not pass by stool, it may 
operate, and be more efficacious as an alte- 
rative, to purify the blood : and it often pas- 
ses by urine, or other secretions. Hordes 
that fail of their stomach, whether it pro- 
ceeds from too full feeding, or engendered 
crudities, and indigested matter, should have 
a mild purge or two. It should be remem- 
bered, that a horse is purged with difficul- 
ty — that all physick generally lies twen- 
ty-four hours in the intestines, before it be- 
gins to work off ; and that the tract of bow- 
els it has to pass through, is about thirty 
yards, which lay horizontally. If mercurial 
physick is given, care should be taken that 
it be well prepared, and warm clothing and 
great circumspection are then required. All 
purges should be given in the morning ; but 
the horse should have a warm mess or two 
the day before, in order to relax, his bowels ; 
and if he has a mess in the morning, before 
the ball is given, it will be so much the bet- 
ter-^and, about three hours after taking the 
ball, he should have another mess given him, 
of scalded bran or shorts. Early the next 
morning give him another mess — and let his 



34 Carver^ s Farrier, 

water be warm, with a handful of bran or 
shorts squeezed in it ; but if he refuses warm 
water, he must be indulged to have it cold. 
He should be properly clothed, and rode 
gently about ; and this should be done two 
or three times in the day, unless he purges 
violently, then once or twice will be suffi- 
cient — at night give him a feed of dry oats. 
But, should the physic continue to operate 
too long, give him the following drink : take 
half a pint of brandy, one ounce of liquid lau- 
danum, and one ounce of aniseeds, finely pow- 
dered, to be put in one pint of good ale. If 
he refuses all kinds of food, of an ordinary na- 
ture, let him be tried with two quarts of 
wheat : this I have tried with good effect. 
By this means I once saved the life of a no- 
bleman's horse in England, that had been 
over-purged by his coachman, and had not 
eatenone mouthful for three days. I shall omit 
giving a variety of receipts for purging balls, 
and only give one that I have proved to an- 
swer all the purposes to which it was intend- 
ed as a common physick, and which I have 
continued to administer for thirty years past. 
And when the rules that I have laid down 
were attended to, in regard to giving the 
messes and water, not five balls, out of one 



Carver"* s Farrier, 35 

hundred, have failed to purge the horse suf- 
ficiently. 

To make what is commonly called a Coarse Phij- 
sick^ or Three Balls for a Horse. 

Take four ounces of succotrine aloes, two 
ounces of fresh jalap, two ounces of powder- 
ed ginger, two ounces of cream of tartar, and 
add thirty drops of oil of aniseed, with as 
much buckthorn syrrup, or molasses as will 
form it into a paste — divide, and let each ball 
weigh three ounces and, a half. — When only 
one ball is wanted, take only the third part 
of all the above named ingredients. 

Observe, that when the horse is to under- 
go a coarse physic, or take three balls, that 
six or eight days interval of time, should be 
given between each dose, or it will injure 
what is generally called the mucus, or lining 
of the guts. 

When a horse loses his appetite for some 
days, after purging, it will be necessary to give 
a warm stomach drink, made of an infusion 
of chamomile flowers, aniseeds and saffron, 
and half an ounce of asafcetida. This infu- 
sion may be made in one quart of ale, with a 



36 Carver^s Farrier. 

small quantity of honey, in order to make it 
palatable. 

When balls are given, they should be of an 
oval shape, and not exceed the size of a pul- 
let's egg ; and, when the dose is large, it 
should be divided into two, and they should 
be dipt in oil, to make them slip down the 
easier. 

As I have given my experience, in regard 
to purging the horse, I will now proceed in 
regard to clysters, with a few remarks and 
cautions. 

Let it be observed, that before the admin- 
istering of emollient clysters, in costive dis- 
orders, a small hand, well oiled, should be 
passed up the fundament, in order to bring 
away the hardened dung, that would be an 
obstacle to the clyster's passage. Authors 
have differed with regard to the apparatus to 
give the clysters with : some have preferred 
a pipe and bladder, to the syringe ; but I have 
for many years used the syringe. It should 
be observed not to give more ihan two quarts 
of a clyster atone time, as an overcharge will 
cause it to return too quick ; but it should be 
often repeated, and more particularly when a 
quick passage is wanted. 



Carver'* s Farrier, 37 

To prepare an Opening Clyster. 

Take two quarts of water, and stir into it a 
handful of wheat flour or oatmeal, let it be 
boiled, then add half a pint of molasses, half 
a pint of neat's foot oil, and a handful of com- 
mon salt. 

For a Re stringent Clyster, 
Take of oak bark two ounces, boil it in two 
quarts of water, till one is nearly consumed, 
pour off*, and dissolve in it four ounces of di- 
ascordium, to which add one ounce of liquid 
laudanum, and a pint of port wine. 



D 



CHAPTER III. 

Of Colds. 

The source of the generality of fevers, 
coughs, and many other disorders, arise from 
taking cold, both in men and horses. When 
this is the case, the pores and outlets of the 
skin, which, in a state of health, is constantly 
breathing out a fine fluid, like steam arising 
from hot water ; but when the horse has tak- 
en cold, these steams and perspirable mat- 
ter are deprived of a free passage through 
them, and are hindered from going off in thei^^ 
usual course, and, in consequence, are recoil- 
ing on the blood and overfill the vessels, and 
affect the head, glands, or kernels of the neck 
and throat, the lungs, and other principal 
parts. 

To enumerate all the causes of colds, would 
be both endless and useless. The usual, are, 
riding horses or driving of them till they are 
hot, and letting them stand in the cold air ; 
and by not being carefully rubbed down 
when they come in hot, off* long journeys. 



40 Carver'^s Farrier, 

The signs of a horse having a cold, are, a 
cough, heaviness and dullness, in proportion 
to the severity of it, and he rattles in his 
breathing — his flanks work, and he will loath 
his meat, and refuse his water — his mouth 
will be slimy — his ears and feet will be cold ; 
in this case there is danger of a fever, and the 
pulse should be consulted. In small horses 
the pulse is generally from 50 to B5^ but in 
large horses, from 45 to 50. Two pulse veins 
are to be found, one on the inside of the jaw 
bone, the other on the inside of the fore leg, 
between the point of the shoulder and the 
knee joint. If the disorder should increase, 
bleed him two quarts ; and if his lungs are 
affected, repeat the bleeding the next day. 
If the horse be costive, give him a mild purg- 
ing ball or drink. The balls that I have 
recommended for a purge, may be dissolved 
in warm water or ale. 

Particular notice should be taken to see 
that the horse waters or stales freely — if not, 
his yard should be examined. This should 
be done, by the operator oiling his hand be- 
fore it is introduced into the sheath ; but the 
yard should not be strained down, which is 
often practised, as both the yard and sheath 
can be cleaned without stretching down the 



Careers Farrier, 41 

yard. In performing this operation, I have 
found hard substances round the point of the 
yard, like stones, about the size of an Indian 
corn ; and at other times I have found a cap 
over the point of the yard, of a substance 
similar to a skin or isinglass, but both these 
obstructions are easily removed without 
straining down the yard, or the internal part 
of the sheath. All horses' yards should be 
examined every three or four months. I have 
attributed those stones that I have described, 
to the horses drinking the hard pump water 
in this city, as the stones appear to be of the 
same consistency as the fur on the inside of 
our tea kettles. I have known it to be the 
case, through the neglect of examining the 
yard in time, that the horse's water has been 
stopped for a great length of time — that the 
bladder has burst, and the horse has died. 
After I have removed these obstructions, I 
have given the f)llowing diuretick ball. 

Take one ounce of nitre, finely powdered, 
one ounce of Juniper berries, half an ounce 
of white rosin, with as much Venice tur- 
pentine as would make it into a ball. This 
I have proved to be effectual, as it will gene- 
rally pass through, by urine, in three or 
four hours. 



42 Carver^ s Farrier 

Should the cold continue, give the follow- 
ing ball, from Dr. Bracken : 

Take aniseed, and greater cardamomum 
and caraway seeds, finely powdered, of each 
one ounce ; flour of brimstone, two ounces ; 
turmeric, in fine powder, one ounce and a 
half; saffron, two drachms ; Spanish juice dis- 
solved in water, two ounces ; liquorice pow- 
der, one ounce and a half; oil of aniseed, 
"half an ounce ; wheat flour sufficient to 
make it into a stiff" paste — beating all the in- 
gredients well, in a mortar. These balls 
consist of warm, open ingredients ; and given 
in small quantities, about the size of a pullet's 
Q^^y will encourage a free perspiration ; but 
in case of a fever, should be cautiously con- 
tinued. This simple method, with good 
nursing and warm messes, and gentle exer- 
cise every day, will hasten recovery. The 
manger should be kept clean, by filling it 
with clean straw. His feeds should be given 
in small quantities ; his hay well shook, and 
sprinkled with water. 



CHAPTER IV. 

On Fevers^ 

The symptoms which denote a fever, are 
the following: The horse is restless, his 
flanks work quick, his eyes are red and in- 
flamed, his tongue parched and dry — his 
breath is hot, and smells strong ; his appe- 
tite is lost and he nibbles his hay, and is 
frequently smelling to the ground — his whole 
body is hotter than ordinary, and he dungs 
often, and little at a time — his urine is high 
coloured — he appears to crave water, but 
drinks little : his pulse beats full, and hard 
to fifty strokes or more, in a minute. 

The first thing necessary to be done, is to 
bleed two or three quarts, if the horse is 
strong and in good condition ; then give 
him a pint of the following drink, four times 
a day. 

Take nitre, one ounce -, of balm, sage, 
and chamomile flowers, each, a handful ; li- 
quorice root, sliced, half an ounce : infuse 
in three pints of boiling water — strain oflT, 
and add to it the juice of two or three limes, 



44 Carver'' s Farrier, 

and sweeten with honey or nlolasses — The 
chief article to be depended on, is the nitre. 
In a high fever I have given as much as half 
a pound of nitre per day, with good effect. 

Sbould the horse be costive, give the fol- 
lowing clyster : 

Take two full hands of marshmallows, and 
one of chamomile flowers ; fennel seed, an 
ounce — boil in three quarts of water to two — 
strain off" — add four ounces of molasses, and 
a pint of linseed or neat's foot oil. 

His diet should be as recommended be- 
fore, for colds : to consist of warm messes, 
given in small quantities — should he refuse 
warm food or water, he should be indulged 
with cold. A small portion of picked hay 
should be put into his rack at a time, as his 
breath will taint all manner of food. Mode- 
rate exercise, fresh air, and a clean stable, 
will have a tendency to restore the horse to 
health. 



CHAPTER V. 

Of the Pleurisy, and Inflammation of the L ungs. 

This is a disorder that horses are much 
subject to in this country. I have frequent- 
ly found, by examining the carcasses of dead 
horses, different kinds of inflammations on the 
pleura, or membrane that lines the chest 
internally. The whole substance of the 
lungs were black, and full of a gangrened 
water ; and, in short, inflammations in every 
bowel. The blood vessels were so overload- 
ed, that the blood has burst out of the small- 
er vessels, and gushed out as from a foun- 
tain, filling all the cavities of the body. At 
other times I have found large clots of blood 
resembling liver, adhering or sticking to the 
sides of the body. A pleurisy, then, is gene- 
rally termed an inflammation of the lungs. In 
this disorder a horse shews great uneasiness ; 
shifts about from place to place. In the be- 
ginning he often strives to lie down, but 
starts up immediately, and frequently turns 
his head towards the affected side ; and this 



46 Carver* s Farrier. 

has caused many to mistake the pleurisy for 
the gripes. The cure of this disorder de- 
pends in a great measure on plentiful bleed- 
ing. If the horse is strong, three or four 
quarts of blood should be immediately taken ; 
and, if the symptoms do not abate, the bleed- 
ing should be repeated. I have taken away 
as much as eight or ten quarts in twenty- 
four hours. But the disorder may, in a great 
measure, be discovered by the blood, which 
appears black and thick, nearly like molas- 
ses. A blistering ointment should be rub- 
bed all over his brisket, upon the foremost 
ribs. The diet and medicine should be 
both cooling, relaxing, and diluting— warm 
messes, and plenty of water or gruel. 

The following balls should be given thrice 
a day : 

Take of spermaceti and nitre, one ounce ; 
oil of aniseed, thirty drops ; with honey 
enough to make a ball. 

A purging clyster should likewise be given. 

Take senna, two ounces ; fennel seed and 
bayberries, of each, one ounce : boil in five 
pints of water, to two quarts — pour oft' the 
clear, and add four ounces of purging salts, 
half a pint of molasses, and half a pint of lin- 
seed oil. If the horse should be costive. 



Carver'' s Farrier, 4y 

give a purging ball ; and he should be gra- 
dually exercised in the open air. I have found 
a rowel, placed between the fore legs, to be 
of great service. 



CHAPTER VL 

Of a Cough, and Asthma, 

I HAVE seen old practitioners more per- 
plexed to remove a settled cough, than maiiy 
other complaints ; which, perhaps, has been 
owing to their want of attention to the dif- 
ferent symptoms, which distinguish one 
cough from another : therefore it was im- 
possible for them to find out the true method 
of cure. 

If a horse's cough is of long standing, at- 
tended with the loss of appetite, and wasting 
of flesh, it denotes a consumption, and that 
the lungs are full of knotty, hard substances, 
called tubercles, which are commonly disco- 
vered on dissection. 

The following signs denote when the cough 
proceeds from phlegm, and slimy matter, 
that stop up the vessels of the lungs : the 
horse's flanks have a quick motion, but not 
with his nostrils open, like in a fever, or that 
is broken winded : his cough is at times dry 

E 



50 Carver'' s Fa 



rrier. 



and husky, and sometimes moist : he rattles 
in the throat, and at times throws out of his 
nose and mouth, a quantity of white phlegm, 
especially after drinking or exercise — which 
discharge gives great relief. 

Asthmatic cases are to be distinguished 
in their symptoms, from pursiness, and thick 
windedness ; and is occasioned by too full, 
or foul feeding, and want of proper exercise. 

As soon as a horse is discovered to have 
a cough, he should be moderately bled, and 
have a purging ball ; which will generally 
give relief. But, should the cough continue 
for a week or ten days after bleeding and 
purging, give him two drachms of calomel, 
mixed up with an ounce of diapente, for two 
nights, and the next morning give him a 
purging ball : keep him well clothed and 
litered, and fed with warm messes. Once, 
in eight or ten days, a purge may be repeat- 
ed, with one mercurial ball given over night ; 
the mercurial ball may be mixed up with 
wheat flour and honey. Should the cough 
continue, and the horse be valuable, the fol- 
lowing balls should be continued to be given, 
every day, for two or three weeks or longer, 
to be of real service. 

Take of cinabar of antimony, half a pound ; 



Carver^ s Farrier, 51 

gum guiacum, four ounces ; myrrh, and gum 
ammoniac, of each, two ounces; Venice soap, 
half a pound : the cinabar must be finely le- 
vigated, and the whole mixed up with honey. 
But, after all that has been done, if the horse 
should prove broken winded, he then must 
be kept on wet feed, as no certain cure, in 
that case has as yet been discovered. 



i 



CHAPTER VIL 

Of an Apoplexy^ or Staggers. 

I SHALL in the present chapter omit, as I 
have done in the preceding chapters, to give 
a variety of different opinions, of different au- 
thors, as to the cause of this disorder ; and 
only go to shew the practice that I have pur- 
sued, and the means by which I have effect- 
ed a cure. 

The previous symptoms that I have disco- 
vered, are a drowsiness, with watery eyes, 
full and inflamed, and a disposition to stag- 
ger or reel ; feebleness, and the head con- 
stantly hanging or resting on the manger ; 
with but little fever, and but little alteration 
in the dung, or urine : at times the horse is 
inclined to rear up and fall back, when han- 
dled by the head. Besides the above symp- 
toms, the horse will be frantic at times. I 
have seen them when let loose, run with 
open mouth, at any person that stood before 
them ; and at other times, I have seen them 

2 E 



54 Carver^s Farrier, 

run direct against a wall or fence : they hav- 
ing, apparently, lost their sight. This is what 
is generally termed the blind, or mad stag- 
gers. I recollect, a few years past, to have 
been called by a respectable Dutchman in 
this city, to see his horse, that had the mad 
staggers. He said to me, Mr. Carver, mine 
horse is bewitched — I suspect the person that 
has done it — I some very bad neighbours. 
I laughed at the ignorance of the man, and 
his belief in ancient superstition ! For my 
own part, I have long since discarded from 
my mind, witches, hobgoblins, and ghosts of 
all kinds ! having swept them away from my 
brains, with the besom of thought ! I drove 
the old lady, the witch, out of my employer's 
horse — but the poor animal lost the sight of 
one eye. This I did not attribute to my 
friend's old witch, but to the malignity of the 
disorder. 

When it is discovered that a horse has 
the staggers, the first thing that should be 
done is to empty the vessels, by purging and 
bleeding. If the horse is strong, four or five 
quarts of blood should be taken ; and two or 
three rowels should be introduced, to cause 
a plentiful discharge. Opening clysters should 
be given. If a small portion of Spanish flies, 



Carver^ s Farrier. 5^ 

be mixed with a small quantity of Venice 
turpentine and hog's lard, to make the rowel 
of, it will cause a quick suppuration. By pur- 
suing this method, and giving the following 
balls, I have performed cures in the worst of 
cases. 

Take of asafoetida, half an ounce ; Russia 
castor powdered, two drachms ; valerian 
root powdered, one oimce : make into a ball, 
with honey and oil of amber. This ball 
should be given twice a day, at first, for two 
or three days, until the horse is found to be 
mending ; and after that, one ball should be 
continued, until the cure is jjfcrformed. 

The following ointment should be rubbed 
into the cheeks, temples, neck, spines of 
the back, and wherever there are contractions 
and stiflfuess : 

Take marshmallow ointment, four ounces : 
oil of amber, two ounces, and a sufficient 
quantity of camphorated spirit of wine to make 
a liniment. 



t 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Of the Strangles. 

The strangles is a distemper to which colts 
and young horses are very subject. It be- 
gins with a swelling between the jaw bones, 
which at times, extends to the muscles of 
the tongue, and is attended with great heat, 
pain, and inflammation : so that, till matter is 
formed, it is difficult for the horse to swallow, 
I have known horses, in this country, that 
have been eight or nine years old, to have 
this disorder, which I never saw in England. 
This disease is critical. But the most ap- 
proved method, is, to assist nature in bring- 
ing the swellings to maturity, by keeping 
the jaws and throat constantly moist, with 
ointment of marshmallows, and covering the 
head and neck with a warm hood : but all 
swellings in glandular parts, suppurate slowly. 
The following poultice should be applied 
twice a day, hot, to the throat : 

Take half a peck of turnips, and half a 
peck of onions — boil them until they are 



58 Carver"^ s Farrier, 

quite soft ; and white lily root, balfa pound ; 
and add half a pound of ointment of marsh- 
mallows. By this method, the swellings on 
the inside of the jaw bones will break ; or it 
will cause a discharge from the nostrils. I 
have known the throat so affected, that the 
horse could not eat a mouthful for several 
days. In this case I have given him, twice 
a day, a cordial drink to support his system ; 
and have, every two hours, gargled his throat 
with vinegar and honey : and, by doing this, 
the ulcer has broke, and a powerful discharge 
has followed ; without which, the horse 
must have died. Great care should be taken 
that the horse be not costive ; and, to that 
end, a purging drink should be given, and 
two quarts of blood should be taken, from 
the jugular or neck vein. But should a cos- 
tiveness continue, relaxative clysters should 
be administered : warm messes should be 
given, as soon as the horse can eat, in which 
a small portion of nitre should be put. — 
Should the running at the nose continue too 
long, which will greatly weaken the horse 
give him, every day, an ounce of Jesuits' 
bark, or a strong decoction of guiacum shav- 
ings. 

If a hardness remain, after the sores are 
healed up, anoint with mercurial ointment. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Of the Diseases of the Eyes. 

The disorders of the eyes arise from dif- 
ferent causes : such as colds, bruises, and in- 
flammation of the blood. Some authors have 
supposed it to be hereditary. But, from 
whatever cause it may originate, in the first 
place the horse should be physicked and 
bled, ;^in order to cool his blood. All inter- 
nal applications, before this, will only increase 
the inflammation : such as blowing into the 
eye burnt alum, white vitrol, powdered su- 
gar, Sec. Should the eye be swelled, attend- 
ed with a running, it should be sponsred with 
cold spring water and vinegar ; or the fol- 
lowing w^ash : 

Take of white vitrol, half an ounce ; sugar 
of lead, two drachms : dissolve in a pint of 
spring water. Let the eye be bathed with 
this w^ash three or four times a day. 

When the inflammation has been very great 
I have found that a rowel, placed between 
the forebrows, is of great service. Likewise 
bleeding in the large vein under the eye 



60 Carver"* s Farrier, 

will at times give great relief. If, after the 
heat is abated, and the swelling gone down, 
there shoiil d remain a film on the globe, or 
any internal part of the eye, there should be 
a little white vitrol, finely powdered, and 
sugar candy blown into the eye, which will 
take off the film. During the time, the horse 
should be fed on messes, and an ounce of 
nitre put in his feed, once a day. I have 
seen horses that have had a speck on the eye 
occasioned by a stroke from the lash of a 
whip, which I have completely removed, by 
touching the speck with luna caustic. But 
this should not be done every day, but once 
in two days, for fear of inflaming the eye ; 
and, at the same time, the eye should be 
bathed with the aforenamed wash. I have 
seen practitioners attempt to cure moon 
blindness and cataracts, but I never saw one 
of them succeed. They are complaints that 
I never attempted, through my thirty years 
practice. But considered it like attempting 
to cure the glanders. And, whenever I 
have been applied to for that purpose,- I 
have reccommended the owner immediately 
to give the horse a leaden ball through his 
heart or brains ; and I always looked on it 
as folly for an author even to write on it, or 
prescribe any cure. 



CHAPTER. X. 

Of the Farcin^ or Farcy, 

This is also a distemper to ^vhich horses 
are much subject to in this country ; and 
which perhaps has called forth as much, or 
more of my practice, than any other disorder, 
and in which I have been as much success- 
ful in curing ; as I do not recollect but one 
horse to have died under my care, with this 
distemper. The said horse was taken care 
of by a negro, who did not follow my direc- 
tions, in regard of exercise and diet, and the 
horse was a few miles in the country. The 
practitioner, in this particular, labours under 
a great disadvantage ; as proper regimen, 
exercise, and good nursing, are very essen- 
tial in performing a cure. The practitioner 
also has other evils to encounter, as he is 
seldom applied to until a variety of nostrums 
have been given the horse, which he has to 
encounter and counteract, as well as the dis- 
ease. Therefore let his knowledge of the 
anatomy or oeconomy of the horse, be w^hat 

F 



62 Carver'' s Farrier. 

it may, he gets but little applause. These 
observations I know to be correct. Besides 
it is expected that he be almost possessed 
of supernatural powers, so as to raise the 
dead to life — or perform an instantaneous 
cure. And his employer is not acquainted 
with the danger to which he is exposed, at 
the time he is practising on this powerful 
animal. Neither is he acquainted with the 
quantity of medicine that the horse requires, 
or the expense of those medicines. I have 
given balls that have cost me one dollar, 
before it was put down the horses throat. 
Therefore, on account of the high price of 
drugs, an d for fear of ofience being given 
in regard of charge. I have been obliged to 
substitute medicine of a cheap quality, and 
to omit those that would have had a far bet- 
ter effect : for gentlemen in this country do 
not pay that respect to a valuable horse, that 
the gentlemen in England do. I beg par- 
don of my readers for thus digressing from 
the subject ; but they were ideas that struck 
my mind at the time, and a man cannot 
help his thoughts. But to the point, as re - 
gards the farcy ; on which I m ean to be as 
xplicit, or plain and concise as possible. 
Different authors have given their different 



Carver^s Farrier, 63 

opinions, in regard to the origin of the farcy. 
Some having viewed it as a distemper of 
the blood vessels, while others have consi- 
dered it as a local one, by which the constitu- 
tion is not tainted — the poison being arrested 
or seated, only in the glands. Be this as it 
may in the beginning of the disease, it will 
at length, however, insinuate itself into the 
circulation of the blood, and poison the whole 
mass. There are, therefore, two kinds of 
farcy — the one called the button, and the 
other the water farcy. The button farcy at 
first, makes its appearance in small round 
buds, like grapes or berries, that spring out 
over the veins, and all parts of the body 
from the head almost down to the hoofs. 
In the beginning they are hard, but soon 
turn into soft blisters ; and when broke, dis- 
charge an oily or bloody ichor, and turn into 
very foul ulcers, that yield a great and offen- 
sive discharge. I have seen them constantly 
continue to drip from all parts of the body 
on the floor of the stall in which the horse 
has stood, like the dripping of meat that was 
roasting before a fire : in this case the cure 
is difficult — but in which I have performed 
perfect cure. But at times this kind of farcy 
will turn to seated glanders \ when this is 



64 Carver'' s Farrier, 

the case, the horse should be dispatched as 
quick as possible, for fear of the contagion 
spreading : besides, no other horse should 
be permitted to stand in the same stable with 
a horse in this situation. 

I now proceed to describe what is called 
the water farcy : it is a species of one and the 
same distemper, but makes its appearance in 
a different way or form. I believe this dis- 
order to be what is generally called the yel- 
low water, by farmers and others in the in- 
terior parts of the country ; and by which 
they loose a great number of horses, for want 
of knowing a remedy to perform a cure. — 
The water farcy begins generally with large 
swellings in different parts of the body ; such 
as the cheeks, neck, and hind legs, and at 
times the fore legs also — with two large swel- 
lings that run along both sides of the belly^ 
from the flank to the fore legs, which swellings 
are generally as large as a man's arm, and 
are full of yellow water : the sheath is also 
greatly swelled — and at times there will be a 
running at the nostrils — These symptoms 
will be attended with a high fever and a cos- 
tiveness. 

Both kinds of this distemper being of an 
inflammatory nature, and particularly affect- 



Carver's Farrier, ^^ 

ing the blood vessels, must of course require 
large bleeding ; and more so, if the horse 
should be fat and full of blood — this I have 
always found to check the farcy : but if the 
horse is low in flesh, the loss of too much 
blood proves injurious. Care should be 
taken to examine his yard and sheath imme- 
diately ; and that a passage be obtained as 
quick as possible, both by dung and urine ; 
and one or more rowels are always necessary. 
Give one of the purging balls, as recommend- 
ed in chapter the second ; and likewise give, 
in a day or two, the diuretick balls, as recom- 
mended in chapter the third. Should the 
distemper prove obstinate, and be found not 
to give way to these means, give a drachm 
of corrosive sublimate, night and morning, 
two or three times, in a ball made of wheat 
flour and honey ; observing, at the same time, 
to give the horse, now and then, an ounce of 
nitre — that is, refined saltpetre, in his messes. 
I have many times observed the good effect 
by giving the corrosive sublimate, as it would 
alter the colour of the matter that discharged 
from the rowels, in twelve hours, from a yeK/ 
low hue to that as black as a coal ; and by 
these means, and proper exercise in open air, 
I always effected a cure. But it should be 

F 2 



66 Carver'' s Farrier, 

observed not to give the sublimate too often, 
as it will salivate the horse, or cause his mouth 
to be sore. After the cure is peformed, it 
would be well to give a purging ball, and 
take a small quantity of blood, in order to 
prevent a return of the distemper. 



CHAPTER XL 

Of the Yellow s^ or Jaundice. 

Horses are frequently subject to this 
disorder; which is easily discovered by 
a dusky yellowness of the eyes — the in- 
side of the mouth and lips — the tongue, 
and the bars of the roof of the mouth 
also look yellow ; the horse is dull and fee- 
ble, and refuses food, the fever is slow — 
but both the yellowness and fever will in- 
crease, provided no remedy be applied to 
check it. The dung is generally hard and 
dry, of a pale colour : his urine is of a dark 
dirty brown colour : and when it has stood 
some time on a pavement, or the floor of 
the stall in which he stands, looks red like 
blood — He stales with difiiculty ; and if the 
disorder is not quickly checked, the horse 
will grow frantic : but if proper means are 
taken, there is but little doubt of a cure. The 
following directions should be observed : 
First bleed plentifully ; and, as horses are 
apt to be costive with this disorder, the next 



68 Ca?'ver^s Farrier, 

morning give a purging ball, as before re- 
commended ; but add to it two drachms of 
saffron ; his feed should be messes — and he 
should have gentle exercise in open air. 
The following balls, which are opening, may 
be given in a few days after the physick has 
done working : 

Take of Dethop's mineral, half an ounce ; 
millepedes, half an ounce ; and Castile soap, 
one ounce. Give one of these balls every 
day, for four or five days ; and, should the 
horse be full of flesh, it will be proper to put 
in a rowel. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Of the Colic k or Gripes. 

This disorder has, perhaps, perplexed the 
farrier or practitioner more than many other 
complaints ; as the internal parts, or bowels 
of the horse, cannot be seen, and he has 
not, like Balam's ass, been endowed with the 
faculty of speech ; and I presume never will, 
as nature's laws are like their great Author, 
immutable. The best authors have described 
the gripes into three different species — the 
flatulent or windy — the bilious or inflamma- 
tory — and the dry gripes ; each of which 
must be known by their different symptoms 
The flatulent or windy cholic is thus known : 
The horse is often lying down, and suddenly 
rising again with a spring, and strikes his 
belly with his hind feet : stamps with his 
fore feet : refuses food ; stretches out his 
limbs, as if dying ; his ears and feet are al- 
ternately hot and cold ; he falls into profuse 
sweats, and then into cold damps : and often 
tries to stale, but cannot. This proceeds 



70 Carver'^s Farrier. 

from a stoppage of urine, by a load of dung 
pressing on the neck of the bladder, which 
should be removed, with a hand dipt in oil, 
which will make way for the confined wind 
to discharge itself, by easing the neck of the 
bladder. The followingball should be given 
as quick as possible. 

Take Venice turpentine, and juniper ber- 
ries pounded, of each one ounce ; nitre, one 
ounce ; oil of juniper, one drachm ; salt of 
tartar, two drachms : make into a ball, with 
honey or molasses : w^ash down with a horn 
or two of warm gruel. 

I have given the following drink, and have 
found it effectual : 

Take one ounce of nitre : one ounce of 
juniper berries powdered ; one ounce of 
anniseeds ; half a gill of spirits of turpentine 
and half a gill of liquid laudanum : mix in 
three half pints of warm ale, and sweeten 
with molasses : at the same time give warm 
opening clysters. I have seen practitioners 
bleed in the mouth for this disorder, which 
seems to be of little or no use — the neck 
vein being more eligible. If, in an hour or 
two, the horse neither stales, dungs, or breaks 
wind, give another ball, or drink — walk or 
trot him about gently, but not to jade him. 



Carve fs Farrier* 71 

The next species of cholic is termed the 
biilious, or inflammatory and is attended with 
most of the preceding symptoms — But a high 
fever soon comes on, with a panting and dry- 
ness of the mouth ; the horse continues to 
throw out a little hot dung, which appears 
blackish, or of a red colour, and is of a foetid 
smell, this denotes an approaching mortifica- 
tion. In this case the horse should be im- 
mediately bled^ as much as three or four 
quarts ; and it should be repeated in three or 
four hours if the spmptoms do not abate ; an 
emolient clyster should be given, with two 
ounces of nitre disolved in it, two or three 
times a day. The following cooling drink 
should be given every two or three hours, 
till several stools are produced ; afterwards to 
be only given night and morning: 

Take of senna, three ounces ; salt of tartar, 
half an ounce ; infuse in a quart of boiling 
water : in an hour or two add four ounces of 
glauber salts, with two ounces of honey. If 
the symptoms do not abate, the only thing to 
be depended on is a strong decoction of 
Jesuit's bark, given to the quantity of a pint 
every three hours, with half a pint of port 
wine. 

If the horse is not of much value, give the 
following alterative ball : 



72 Carver^s Farrier 

Take of diapente, one ounce ; diascordium, 
half an ounce — make into a ball, with tv/o 
drachms of myrrh, and two drachms of oil of 
amber : give it two or three times a day. 

The last to be described is the dry gripes ; 
which arises from costiveness ; and is to be 
discovered by the horse's frequent and fruit- 
less motion to dung, and the quick motion 
of his tail j the hardness and blackness of the 
dung, and the high colour of his urine — and 
his great uneasiness. In this case the strait 
gut should be emptied, by a hand dipt in oil ; 
and an oily opening clyster, and a purge, 
should be given as quick as possible. The 
diet should be warm messes — warm water ; 
and four ounces of gum Arabic should be 
dissolved in a quart of water — a little of which 
should be given every time the horse drinks. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Of Worms and Bots. 

It appears by examining the laws of na- 
ture, that the whole is one eternal round of 
living principle ; and strictly speaking there 
is no such thing as death throughout the 
whole system, but that a constant change 
from one state of beings, to that of another 
state of beings, is constantly going on 
throughout the whole eternal round of na- 
ture, as every part of animated existence is 
subservient to other parts. The various 
tribes of animals, fishes and insects constant- 
ly prey or live on each other, and we in turn 
prey on them ; in fact, whether living or 
dead, man becomes food for various living 
beings of diiferent kinds. While we contin- 
ue as moving machines on this our earth, we 
may be said to be worlds for the habitation 
of numerous living beings, as all our blood 
and vital parts are filled with them : let man 
but study this grand work of nature in only a 
small proportion, and contemplate, and med- 

G 



74 Carver'*s Farrier. 

itate on it, and it will raise his heart and mind 
with thankfulness, wonder and gratitude 
and give him the most exalted ideas of 
his Creator. 

It would be both needless and useless to 
insert all the nostrums that have been recom- 
mended to destroy worms and bots, that re- 
side in the stomach of the horse ; and like- 
wise to give the opinions of different authors 
as to their origin, and the manner by which 
they are introduced into the stomach. It is 
sufficient then to know that there are three 
kinds of worms found in horses ; the most 
mischievous are called bots — They are of a 
reddish colour, and seldom exceed three 
quarters of an inch in length ; at one extre- 
mity they have two small hooks, by which 
they attach themselves to the maw, or the 
insensible coat of the stomach, and then they 
do not appear to cause any great uneasiness ; 
but when they attach themselves to the sen- 
sible part, they do great injury, by keeping 
up a constant irritation, and occasioning 
emaciation, a rough standing coat, hide 
bound, and a cough, and often destroy the 
horse. In opening horses after they have 
been dead, I have found as many bots as 
would half fill the crown of a hat, and have 



Carvcr^s Farrier. 75 

known them to live a fortnight after the 
horse had been dead. Bots are very tenacious 
of life ; on this account it is almost impossible 
to drive them from their hold — It appears 
that all strong medicines, such as mercurials, 
only serve to make them stick faster ; as they 
work themselves into the maw, like bees into 
a honeycomb. To attempt, therefore, the 
destruction of bots, is probably useless : but 
La Fosse, a French author, highly recom- 
mends soot ; and powdered savine has been 
known to cause them to evacuate. But they 
appear to be fond of any thing sweet : I 
therefore have given to horses that have been 
troubled with them, one pint of sweet milk 
and half a pint of molasses for three morn- 
ings running ; and the next morning given 
a purging ball, to which I have added a 
drachm of calomel — and in some cases with 
good effect. 

The next worm that I shall describe is 
very slender, of a blackish colour, and sel- 
dom exceeds two inches in length ; but they 
are never found in the stomach — the largest 
parts of the canal is the place of their resi- 
dence. 

The third kind of worm is of a whitish 
colour, being from six to eight inches in 
length, and are generally found in the lower 



76 Carver* s Farrier » 

parts of the intestines : both of these kind 
of worms are common to horses in this coun- 
try. They appear to consume a great quan- 
tity of chyle, or the nutritious part of the food 
that the horse eats, so that he is always poor 
and lean, and at times hide bound. But 
they are easy to get rid of, by giving two or 
three purging balls, with a drachm of calomel 
in each ball ; always observing to wait eight 
or ten days, between giving each dose. Any 
observer may be satisfied of worms in the 
intestines, by raising the horses tail, and he 
will discover a whitish or straw coloured 
powder, sticking below the anus or funda- 
ment. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Of Wounds in generaL 

All fresh wounds made by cutting instru- 
ments, should, in the first place, be brought 
together as much as possible, either by sewing 
or bandage ; but not so as to prevent a sup- 
p_uration, or a discharge of matter. But, 
provided the wounded part will neither admit 
of sewing nor binding, and the blood should 
flow in a copious manner, the first thing, in 
this case, to be attended to, is to stop the 
blood ; and this I have effected by applying 
a quantity of lint, or soft flax, dipt in a tinc- 
ture made in the following manner, (which 
tincture ought to be always ready at hand, 
for the practitioner) — 

Take half a pint of spirits of wine ; half a 
pint of brandy ; and one ounce of succotorine 
aloes, finely powdered ; mix them together in 
a bottle. If the wound should be in such a 
part as not to admit of a bandage, so as to 
bind on the lint or flax, thus dipt in the tinc- 
ture, it must be continued to be held on by 

G 2 



78 Carver^ s Farrier. 

the hand until there is an eschar formed; 
otherwise it will elude the expectation, and 
frequently cause alarm with fresh bleeding. 
By the application of this tincture, in the man- 
ner above described, I have never failed to 
stop the flow of blood, occasioned by the 
worst of wounds. 

I recollect that, a few years ago, a horse 
belonging to Mr. Charles Ludlow, of this 
city, had the boom or shaft of a cartman's 
cart drove through his sheath, which came 
out at the hind part of his thigh ; the wound 
was so large that a hand could be passed 
through it, and the blood gushed out, as from 
the spout of a pump ; but by holding on the 
flax to the wound, for the space of four hours, 
dipt in the tincture, an eschar was formed. 
The next morning I proceeded to inject the | 
wound with warm tincture of myrrh, which 
quickly brought on a suppuration, or a plenti- 
ful discharge of thick white matter ; anointing, 
at the same time, the swollen parts, with the 
London ointment of marshmallows — and fre- 
quently giving the horse cordial balls of the 
following description : One ounce of aniseeds, 
and one ounce of carraway ; one ounce of nitre, 
finely powdered — mixed up with liquid lau- 
danum. By these balls the horse was kept 



Carver^ s Farrier. 79 

from starving ; and every time I gave him 
water, an ounce of nitre, powdered, wasmixed 
with it. — In one month the cure was complet- 
ed, and scarcely a scar to be seen on the outer 
part of the thigh. I have never known the 
forenamed tincture to fail in stopping of blood, 
either on man or horse, when closely applied. 

A friend and countryman of mine, who 
resides about twelve miles from N. York, 
was one day going up on a hay stack ; and 
there was a large, old fashioned hay cutter, 
that fell down, by the shake of the ladder, 
right across the instep of his foot — and so 
far severed the foot, that the fore part of it 
dropt down, so that it formed a square. The 
whole family was greatly alarmed — expecting 
the man quickly to bleed to death. — ^But on 
recollecting that there was some of my tine- 
tu^'e in the house, it was immediately applied; 
the foot bound up ; and the blood stopped. 
The next day a man was sent to town for 
more of the tincture ; and by continuing to 
apply it, and anointing the swelling with the 
ointment of marshmallows, the cure was com- 
pleted, without being attended with any lame- 
ness. 

By the following mixture I have likewise 

stopped profuse bleeding : 



80 Carver"* s Farrier, 

Take one ounce of spirits of turpentine, 
and one ounce of oil of vitriol — mix them to- 
gether in a bottle ; leaving out the cork until 
the inflammation has subsided, or it will burst 
the bottle. But the former mixture is pre- 
ferable, as it will both stop the blood and cure 
the wound. 

All deep wounds should be injected with 
tincture of myrrh, to bring on a speedy dis- 
charge ; and the injecter should have a long 
tube, in order that the tincture may be ap- 
plied to the bottom of the wound. And no 
wound should be so closed at the mouth, or 
front, as to prevent a free discharge. 

Some time past 1 was called on by a gen- 
tleman, to attend a horse a few miles in the 
country, that had had a shaft of a chair run 
into one of his shoulders. An ignorant 
blacksmith, of this city, had previously at- 
tended the horse, and filled up the wound 
with salt ; and so closed the wound, that no 
suppuration could take place. I directly 
found, that both an inflammation and mortifi- 
cation had taken place, in consequence of 
this treatment : I therefore pronounced that 
the horse w^ould die in twelve hours, and he 
did so. 



Carver''' s Farrier, 81 



Of Wounds in the Jeet, 

Wounds in the feet arise from different 
causes : such as cuts by hard substances — as 
glass, stones, and pricks from nails, by shoe- 
ing, or by taking up nails by travelling; and 
when a nail is taken up, at, or near the point 
of the frog, it is oftentimes attended with dif- 
ficulty to cure, as it often penetrates the joint 
of the coffin bone. As soon as it is discover- 
ed that a nail has thus entered the foot, the 
first thing to be done is to remove the nail ; 
afterwards the top of the hole should be en- 
larged, by a knife or razing iron, so as to 
admit of medicine going to the bottom of the 
wound. But the ridiculous custom, as prac- 
tised by smiths in general, should never be 
adopted ; which is to pour into the hole spirits 
of turpentine — oil of vitriol — or burn the 
wound with a hot iron, as either of these will 
harden the top of the wound, by forming a 
hard crust, which will prevent a suppuration, 
and bring an inflammation into the foot. 
After the wound is thus opened, the hollow 
in the bottom of the foot should be stopped 
up, with equal parts of Venice turpentine, 



82 Carver"* s Farrier* 

tar, and hog's lard ; the stopping being con- 
iined in with splints put across the foot, 
under the shoe ; and the horse should be 
suffered to stand still for twelve hours, at least. 
After this the foot should be examined again, 
to see whether an inflammation has taken 
place or not ; if an inflammation should have 
taken place, and the wound be found not to 
discharge or suppurate, there should be some 
tincture of myrrh poured hot into the hole, 
and the foot stopped as before. But after all 
this precaution has been taken, if there should 
still remain a violent heat in the foot, and 
the horse appears to be in great pain, the 
sole of the foot should be pared away, round 
the wound, with a butteris, and the hole more 
opened ; but not entirely to take off* the sole, 
which is both a cruel and barbarous practice, 
and mostly causes the hoof to come entirely 
off*. After the wound is thus opened, as be- 
fore described, there should be a little tinc- 
ture of myrrh poured boiling h ot into it, and 
a small piece of corosive sublimate pushed 
down to the bottom of the wound, with a 
probe made of whale bone — as that will not 
break, so as to leave any part of it in the foot. 
After this has been done, the foot should be 
stopped with the aforenamed ointment; and 



Carver^s Farrier. 83 

a small portion of verdigris added to the oint- 
ment — The foot likewise should be tied up 
in a bag, filled with fresh cow dung — The 
horse should also be physicked and bled ; 
and have nitre given, in both his feed and 
water. By following up these observations, 
I never failed to perform a cure, even in the 
worst of cases. After the wound has been 
properly cleansed out, and the danger subsid- 
ed, the foot should be continued to be dres- 
sed, but with a more mild ointment — such 
as marshmallows ; or an ointment made of 
beeswax and hog's lard, and a small portion 
of Venice turpentine. And when the horse 
has so far recovered, as to be able to work, 
there should be a bar welded on the shoe, 
about two inches wide, to come opposite the 
wound in the foot, in order that no hard sub- 
stance shall press on the tender part ; and 
this is far preferable to a plate placed all over 
the shoe — as the foot can be washed, or 
cleaned out and dressed, without removing 
the shoe. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Of the Locked Jaw, 

This is a disorder, that has hitherto baffled 
the art of the physician, and also the power 
of medicine to cure, either on man or beast : 
although it must be acknowledged, that there 
have been instances of cures being performed 
— but perhaps, more by chance than any 
other cause. In the course of my practice, 
I have had a great number of horses under 
my care, that have had, what is generally 
called the stag evil, or lock jaw — but per- 
formed a cure on two only : and I believe, 
that nineteen out of twenty, that are seized 
with this complaint, die. I recollect to have 
kept a very fine horse alive fourteen days 
with this disorder on him, merely by giving 
him clysters, and pouring cordial drinks down 
his nostrils ; but he died, after all the pains 
that had been taken. As for my part, I have 
consulted a great many authors on the sub- 
ject, and tried a variety of inventions of my 

H 



86 Carver'' s Farrier. 

own — being determined, if possible, to find 
out a perfect cure : I have bled, till the horse 
has almost dropt by the loss of blood ; and 
have thrown them into the most profuse per- 
spiration ; plunged them in the river : and 
even electrified them — but to no good effect. 
By the last two operations, the jaw appeared 
for a short time to drop — but immediately 
closed as fast as ever. The celebrated Mr. 
Gibson, has in my opinion, given the best 
and most lively description of the lock-jaw 
of any author that has written on the subject, 
which I quote in his own words — who says, 
"As soon as the horse is seized, his head is 
raised, with his nose towards the rack ; his 
ears pricked up, and his tail cocked, looking 
with eagerness, as an hungry horse, when 
hay is put down to him — or like a high spi- 
rited horse when he is put upon his mettle ; 
insomuch, that those who are strangers to 
such things, when they see a horse stand in 
this manner, will scarce believe any thing of 
consequence ails him, but they are soon con- 
vinced, when they see other symptoms come 
on apace ; and that his neck grows stiff, 
cramped and almost iuimoveable : and if a 
horse lives a few days, several knots will 
arise on the tendinous parts thereof : and all 



Cai^er'^s Farrier. 87 

the muscles, both before and behind, will be 
so much pulled and cramped, and so stretch- 
that he looks as if he was nailed to the pave- 
ment, with his legs stiiF and straddling ; his 
skin is drawn so tight, on all parts of his 
body, that it is almost impossible to move it ; 
and, if trial be made to make him walk, he is 
ready to fall at every step, unless he be care- 
fully supported : his eyes are so fixed with 
the inaction of his muscles, as gives him a 
deadness in his looks ; he snorts and sneezes 
often; pants continually, with shortness of 
breath; and this symptom increases conti- 
nually, till he drops down dead, which gene- 
rally happens in a few days, unless some 
sudden and very effectual turn can be given 
to the distemper." This I know to be as 
correct a description as can be given. But 
I have wondered to see almost all the authors 
that I have read on the subject, and they are 
not a few, recommend giving to horses, in 
this situation, balls of various prescriptions. 
I would ask those gentlemen, how a single 
ball is to be given, when not so much as a 
shilling piece can be put between his teeth ; 
and his jaw cannot be pried open, even with 
an iron bar. 

In the cases wherein I have succeeded. 



88 Carver^ s Farrier, 

the following remedies were applied — First 
to bleed plentifully, and anoint the jaws and 
head with ointment of marshmallows — and 
holding a large hot iron bar to the neck and 
jaws, to force in the ointment ; afterwards I 
have rubbed in strong blistering ointment — 
from the withers, to the tail ; and also applied 
a blister plaster, begining at the withers, and 
continuing the whole length of the spine, to 
the tail ; and instead of attempting to give 
a ball, I have poured the following drink 
down the nostrils : composed of — 

Half an ounce of assafoetida ; Russia castor 
three drachms ; valerian root, powdered, one 
ounce ; oil of amber, one ounce — put into a 
pint of warm ale, sweetened with honey. 
Two or three of these drinks should be given 
in a day, with w^i^rm gruel : but it requires 
the assistance of two or three men to give it. 

The following clyster should be given 
once a day : 

Take rue, pennyroyal, and chamomile flow- 
ers, of each, a handful ; and asafoetida, one 
ounce — boil in three quarts of w^ater, to two — 
strain off, and add half a pint of neat's foot 
oil — The horse must likewise be supported 
by nourishing clysters, made of milk pottage 
which must be given to the quantity of three 
or four quarts a day. These medicines 



Cai'ver'^s Farrier^ 89 

being given, will warm, invigorate, and at- 
tenuate the blood : and by using these means 
I have succeeded, in a few cases, in perform- 
ing a cure. 



h2 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Of Strains in various parts » 

It is to be observed that in all strains, the 
muscular or tendinous fibres are over stretch- 
ed ; like a piece of catgut that is overdrawn^ 
so as to destroy its springiness or elasticity ; 
therefore it is easy to see, that by soaking or 
bathing the affected part in oil, must of course 
be erroneous, as this will serve more to ex- 
tend the fibres, that are already over stretch- 
ed. But I have seen instances where the 
muscle or fibre has been shrunk, occasioned 
by a stroke or a kick on the leg of the horse, 
which has caused him to stand altogether on 
the toe of the foot, for a length of time, until 
the muscle or fibre has so much shrunk up, 
that the heel of the foot could not be brought 
to the ground. In cases of this kind, I have 
continued to soak the affected part with neat's 
foot oil, and rolled up the leg in a flannel 
roller, until the fibre has been relaxed^ and 
the horse has been perfectly cured. But it 
is a difficult task to convince the illiterate 



92 Carver'* s Farrier. 

and unthinking, of the absurdity of applying 
restringents : or to persuade those that are 
owners of valuable horses, not to let them 
be tampered with, by those who have never 
thought or studied for their own benefit, and 
much less for the horse ; for common observa- 
tion proves, that two thirds of the human race 
think but very little — neither can they think. 
When it is clearly proved that a horse is lame 
in the shoulder, he should be rowelled a little 
below the point of the shoulder, and likewise 
be bled and physicked. — VVhen a horse's 
shoulder is overstrained, he does not put out 
that leg as the other, but, to prevent pain, 
sets the sound foot, firmly on the ground, to 
save the other, even tliough he be turned 
short on the lame side, which motion tries 
him more than any other. VVhen trotted in 
hand, instead of putting his leg forward in a 
right line, he forms a circle with the lame 
leg ; and, when he stands in the stable, that 
leg is put forward before the other. If the 
shoulder is much swelled, it should be fo- 
mented, by woolen cloths dipt in a strong 
decoction of wormwood, tansy, and chamo- 
mile flowers— to which may be added, half 
a pint of spirits of wine. 

Strains of the back sinews are very com- 



Carver^s Farrier, 93 

mon, and are easy to be discovered by the 
swelling, ^\hich extends, at times, from the 
back side of the knee, down to the pastern 
joint. These strains likewise, in the first in- 
stance, should be fomented — and afterwards 
treated in the following manner, and the oils 
here prescribed applied ; 

Take of the best vinegar, one quart ; spirits 
of turpentine, half a gill ; bole ammoniac, one 
ounce ; common salt, a teacup full — mix in a 
bottle — shake up — and rub in well with the 
hand; place a flannel roller round the leg, 
and draw it moderately tight : the roller 
should be about two yards long, and four or 
five inches wide. 

Or take the following receipt for strain oil, 
which can be recommended, and will recom- 
mend itself. 

Take of spirits of wine, two ounces ; cam- 
phire, half an ounce ; linseed oil, half a pint ; 
vinegar, one pint. 

When a horse is lame in the stifle, he al- 
ways treads on the toe, and cannot set the 
heel to the ground ; if a large swelling ensues, 
foment it well with the aforenamed decoction, 
till it disperses, and then bathe the part with 
either of the above medicines. 

A lameness in the whirlbone and hip, is 



94 Carver^s Farrier. 

to be discovered by the horse dragging his 
leg after him, and dropping backward on his 
heel when he trots. If the muscles of the 
hip, only, are injured, the cure is easy; but 
but when the ligaments of the joint are af- 
fected, the cure is difficult. In either case, 
at first the parts should be bathed or foment- 
ed : should neither of these succeed, a strong 
blister should be applied over the hip or 
whirlbone, and the horse be turned out to 
pasture, at least for three months, as rest 
and time only can restore the injured parts 
to their proper tone ; and this must be ob- 
served in all kind of strains. The following 
blister should be applied : 

Take of marshmailow ointment, four oun- 
ces; Venice turpentine, two ounces ; tar, two 
ounces ; mustard, two ounces ; Spanish flies, 
powdered, two drachms ; oil of origanum, 
two drachms. The blister may be kept on, 
by applying pitch, or any thing of a sticking 
nature, round the edge of the plaster. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Of Bone and Blood Spavin, 

It would be altogether needless to enter 
into the cause of this disorder. Let it suf- 
fice then, that I describe both the bone and 
blood spavin : and the method that I have 
pursued, whereby cures have been effected 

That which is generally termed a bone spa- 
vin, is a hard bony excrescence, or hard 
swelling, growing on the inside of the hock 
of the horse's hind leg. A spavin that begins 
on the lower part of the hock, is not so dan- 
gerous or difficult to cure, as when it puts out 
higher — between the two round processes 
of the leg bone : And a spavin near the edge 
is not so hard to cure as when it is more in- 
ward, towards the middle, as it does not so 
much affect the bending of the hock joint 
For my own part, I am convinced that it is 
impossible to cure the bone spavin, if it has 
been of long standing. Some years past, a 
gentleman that owned a valuable horse, that 



96 Carver^s Farrier. 

had got the bone spavm, persuaded me to 
attempt to take it off: I therefore fixed the 
horse m stocks, and laid open the part ; and 
by the use of knives and chissels, took oiF 
all the hard substance from the bone ; and 
afterwards applied caustic, and powerful di- 
gestive ointment. The wound at length was 
cured, and the horse turned out to pasture for 
some months; but after all that had been 
done, the horse continued lame — owing, I 
presume, to a defect in the joint. I have 
many times since been applied to, for to cure 
the bone spavin, but declined the attempt. 
But on hearing of a Mr. Clements, a farrier 
in this city, who, it is said, is in possession 
of a diploma from the Veterinary College 
of London, and that he could cure the bone 
spavin, I advised those who applied to me, 
to take their horses to him : although I con- 
fess, that I did not place any more confidence 
in the talents of Mr. Clements, on account of 
his diploma, or his knowledge of the dead 
languages — as neither of these can give ex- 
perience. During the course of my life, I 
have conversed with many college-bred gen- 
tlemen, who in my opinion, were colleg'd 
idiots — as the schools had taught them sci- 
ence, and the Greek and Latin, before they 



Carver^ s Farrier. 97 

had taught them common sense. But my 
opinion was, that as nature has diversified her 
gifts, that Mr. Clements might have disco- 
vered something new, that might perform a 
cure ; but, by seeing several of the horses 
after he had operated on them, I found that 
he had exactly pursued the former methods 
that myself and old practitioners have pru- 
sued for a number of years past, and that 
the horses still remained lame. If I myself 
am in possession of any diploma, it is a grant 
from the college of nature, and the creden- 
tials are, experience, reason, and common 
sense. But to return to the spavin — as soon 
as it is discovered that there is a swelling on 
the horse's hock, and the appearance of a 
bone spavin is coming on, it should be im- 
mediately fired, and a strong blister applied 
to the part, which should be repeated two or 
three times, leaving a space of two or three 
days between each application — And the 
horse must be permitted to rest, or, if it is 
convenient, he should be turned out to pas- 
ture for two or three months — and this will 
perform a cure. Every time the blisters 
are taken off, the part should be anointed 
with elder or marshmallow ointment. 

A blood spavin, is a swelling and diluta- 

I 



98 Carver'* s Furrier. 

tion of the vain that runs along the inside of 
the hock of the hind leg, which will rise 
and fall like a cushion, by the presure of the 
finger. But this is easily cured, by repeated 
blisters, and resting the horse. The blister- 
ing ointment that I have applied for the pur- 
pose, is the following : 

Take of marshmallow ointment, three 
ounces ; Venice turpenrine, two ounces ; 
Spanish flies, a drachm and a half; sublimate 
one drachm ; and oil of origanum, two 
drachms. 

The hair should be cut off as close as pos- 
before the blister is applied— this should be 
done in the morning, and the horse's head 
tied up to the rack all day, so as to prevent 
his getting off* the blister. Care must be 
taken to bind the blister fast on, with a 
broad tape or list. After the blister has done 
running, and the scabs peal off*, it should be 
repeated a second time ; and if required, a 
third, time, in the same manner. * These ap- 
plications will, generally, perform a^cure. 



CHAPTER XVIIL 

Of the Pole Evil and Fistula* 

It is my intention to treat of these t-wo dis- 
eases under one head, or chapter, as they ap- 
pear to be of a similar nature, and require 
almost the same treatment. The pole evil 
is an abscess near the pole of the horse, form- 
ed in the senuses, between the pole bone and 
the uppermost vertebras, or what is common- 
ly called the whiteleather of the neck. It 
often proceeds from blows, bruises, or some 
external violence. It should, in the first 
place, be attempted to be dispersed, by bath- 
ing the part with hot vinegar or train oil : 
but if an oozing, or matter of a hot, ichory 
kind, should make its way through the skin, 
the best way is to poultice, with any kind of 
a strong drawing poultice. But should the 
swelling have been of long standing, and it 
has become a foul ulcer, and the matter Hows 
in great quantities, resembling melted glue, 
and is of an oily consistence, it will then re- 
quire to be opened wite a knife ; and the 



100 Carver^s Farrier, 

depth of the cavities should be discovered, 
by the finger or a probe — and should there 
be found a quantity of mortified or rotten 
flesh, it should be taken out : and this I have 
often found, when the swelling has been neg- 
lected for a length of time. Care should be 
taken not to cut away or injure the tendinous 
ligamenl, that runs along the neck under the 
mane. When the matter is on both sides, 
an opening must be made on each side, and 
the ligament, remain undivided. This being 
done, and the horse fixed fast in a pair of 
stocks, the following scald or mixture should 
be applied, boiling hot, to the cavities, after 
they have been well washed out with a sponge 
dipt in vinegar : 

Take of train oil, half a pint ; honey, two 
ounces ; spirits of wine, four ounces; sub- 
limate and white vitriol, of each, two drachms; 
verdigris, half an ounce ; oil of turpentine, 
two ounces ; mix together in a bottle — then 
put a sufiicient quantity into a ladle with a 
spout. Care must be taken that it does not 
take fire, while making it hot. It will be 
well to close the wound with one or two 
&titches, after the scald has been poured into 
the abscess. 

This should remain untouched for several 



Carver^ s Farrier, 101 

days, and, if a good matter appears, it will do 
well without any farther dressing ; but if the 
matter flows in abundance, andof atliin con- 
sistence, the scalding must be repeated, until 
the matter lessens and thickens, and the ciiPfe 
is performed. I have several times succeed- 
ed with only scalding once. 

A Fistula 

is a sore disease — a hollow, winding ulcer, 
and frequently arises on the withers of a horse; 
and is occasioned by bruises, or pinches of 
the saddle ; and in the first place should be 
treated with impellers. The tumour should 
be bathed three or four times a day with hot 
vinegar ; or an ounce of the oil of vitriol may 
be put to a quart of vinegar. But when these 
swellings are critical, the repelling medicine 
must be avoided ; and assist in bringing the 
swelling to matter, by means of suppurating 
poultices. The tumours should never be 
opened before they are ripe— if they are, 
the sore will be'spungy, and discharge a bloody 
ichor. But if the fiistula has been of long 
standing, and appears to be a foul ulcer, it 
must then be opened : and if both sides of 
the wither or swelled, of course they must 

I 2 



102 Carver^s Farrier, 

both be opened. Care should be taken to 
enlarge the openings, by paring away the lips 
downwards, so that the dressings may be ap- 
plied easily : and care must be taken to avoid 
tlie ligament which runs along the neck, to 
^Bie shoulders or withers: the openings should 
decline downwards, so that the medicines are 
sure to go to the bottom of the ulcer. The 
following scalding mixture should be applied : 
Take of mutton suet, one pound ; tar and 
train oil, of each, half a pint ; white vitriol 
and corrosive sublimate, of each, one ounce. 
The tar and suet should be melted over a 
slow fire ; and the sublimate and vitriol should 
be finely powdered, and stirred*nto the ladle, 
with the tar and suet, after it is taken off the 
fire. 

The dressing should remain untouched for 
ten days ; and should the running be stopped, 
it should only be bathed with train oil ; but 
should the discharge continue, the scalding 
must be repeated. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

On Shoeing, 

The shoeing of a horse is an operation of 
far greater importance than is generally ima- 
gined : as the expectations of the owners of 
fine horses are often blasted, owing to the 
badness of their feet ; which is frequently 
occasioned by being sadly shod. This me- 
chanical art being solely committed to smiths 
who, generally speaking, are altogether un- 
acquainted with the anitomical structure of 
the foot of the horse, and consequently 
cannot judge correctly the manner in which 
the shoe ought to be placed on the foot, in 
order to cause the horse to travel sound. 
I am well aware, that what I shall here ad- 
vance will meet with opposition, from the 
ignorant and prejudiced shoers of horses ; 
and it is a notorious fact, that three fourths 
of them are as ionorant of the nature and 
structure of the foot, as the horse is of them^ 
But I shall appeal to the understandmg and 



104 Carver^s Farrier^ 

judgment of the experienced few, both in 
this city and elsewhere, for the justness of 
the statement that I have given ; and I mean 
to be as plain and explicit as possible ; as it 
must be considered, that the preservation of 
the foot of the horse is a most essential 
point : and that the owners of them should 
be aware, into whose hands they commit 
them to be shod. A most perncious custom 
is practised in this city, by many pretended 
shoers, which is to make presents to gentle- 
men's coachmen, grooms, or negroes, in 
order to obtain horses to shoe : and some of 
them have gone so far, as to pay them two 
shillings per horse, for every horse that they 
brought to their shops. And during the 
time that I continued shoeing horses, I have 
had coachmen come to me, and inform me 
that they were going to drive for such and 
such gentlemen, and asked what I would 
give them, provided they continued the 
horses to be shod by me ; my reply was, that 
I should give nothing ; and asked them if 
the gentlemen did not pay them wages — 
They then told me, that there was no call to 
put new shoes on the horses, every time they 
were shod, but only to remove them, and 
charge them as new. By my not complying 



Carver^ s Fairier, 105 

with these demands, many horses were re- 
moved that I had shod for years. But it 
was plain to me, that gentleman had by this 
custom been imposed on ; and some of them 
had discovered the fraud, and told me that 
they believed there were more horses shod 
for bribes and grog, than by experienced 
workmen ; and when they discovered the 
fraud, they immediately ordered the horses 
back to my shop. I think it proper to make 
these remarks or facts known, in order that 
gentlemen may not be imposed on ; and 
that their horses may not be removed by 
their servants, out of the hands of experien- 
ced workmen, into the hands of those that 
know but little of the important art of shoe- 
ing. I shall, in the first place, proceed to 
give an anatomical description of the foot of 
the horse, as far as it is reqpaisite to be known 
by those that undertake to shoe them. 

The external covering of the foot is cal- 
led the hoof; it is of a horny substance, 
without sense or feeling, and serves as a 
box or covering for the foot, to defend the 
blood vessels, nerves, tendons, &c. from ex- 
ternal injuries, and support the weight of 
the body of the horse. The external parts 
of the hoof mav be divided into four paits *. 



106 Carver'' s Farrier, 

1st, the crust or ^vall of the hoof ; 2d, the 
the sole ; 3d, the frog or heels; 4th, the 
bars or binders. First, the circular part, into 
which the nails are drove when the horse is 
shod, is called the crust, or vvall of the foot : 
it is a tough, hard substance, and thick or 
strong at the front or toe, but thinner towards 
the heels ; and more so in the fore feet than 
in the hind ones, as it often happens that 
the crust or wall of the hind feet, is strongest 
or thickest at the heels. Second, The sole fills 
up the inner and under part of the crust, and 
is composed of scaly layers, which, when 
grown too luxuriant, become dry, and fall off 
in scales ; but when too much pared away 
with the butteris, the internal parts of the 
foot are exposed to bruises, from stones and 
other hard substances. And I have known 
at times, the outeiksole of the foot to become 
so hard, by the horse's continuing to stand 
in the stable, or traveling on hot sandy roads 
that it has bound tight on the internal part 
of the foot, so as to cause lameness , but by 
stopping the foot with tar and grease, or even 
with fresh cow-dung, the sole has been relax- 
ed, and in a few days the horse has travel- 
led sound. Third, The frog is of a soft, spon- 
gy substance, shaped like a dart, and reaches 



Carver^ s Farrier. 107 

from the extremity of the heel, to the mid- 
dle of the sole ; in the middle of the frog 
is a cleft, or opening, by which the heels 
have a small degree of contraction, and ex- 
expausion, every time the horse sets his foot 
on the ground. At times the frog is affected 
by a disease called the running thrush, 
which will frequently destroy almost the 
whole of it : when this is the case, the heels 
have lost their support, and the horse will 
go lame. The only thing to bo done, is to 
place a bar shoe on their foot, which will 
prevent the heels from contracting and ex- 
panding, and guard the decayed part from 
stones, or other hard substances. After the 
shoe is placed on the foot, there should be a 
little of the tincture, as recommended in 
chapter xiv. poured into the affected frog, 
two or three times a pay : at the same time 
it will be well to bleed and physic the horse 
and afterwards to give him one or two diure- 
tic balls. The frog composes a great part 
of the heel of the horse : but the e tremities 
of the crust, on each side of the frog, are cal- 
led the heels, and are distinguished by the 
names of outside and inside. 4th, What are 
called the bars, or binders of the foot, are 
hard pieces of the hoof, growing on each 



108 Carver'^s Farrier. 

side of the frog, which serve in a measure 
to extend and guard the heels : and these 
like the frog, should never be too much cut 
away — as nature has placed them as a cover- 
ing, to defend the internal parts, and bones 

of the foot. 

The bones of the foot are distinguished by 

the following names : the coffin bone — the 
shuttle bone — aud the coronary bone : these 
bones are all in contact with each other, and 
require the fro^ and the binders to be strong, 
to prevent them from being injured by hard 
substances. It is requisite that all shoeing 
smiths should be acquainted with the exter- 
nal and internal parts of a horse's foot : if this 
was the case, they would not cut down the 
heels, or pare away the sole and frog, as they 
generally do. I would recommend to them 
the plan that I set for my apprentice boys — 
which was, to cut off the foot of a dead horse, 
and fix it in a vice, and continue to pare it 
away by shavings, with a butteris, until the 
whole structure of the foot is discovered. By 
this plan, and giving proper directions as to 
paring the foot and fitting the shoe, the young 
men have become accomplished workmen. 

I shall now proceed to describe, as clear as 
language can convey my ideas, the form of a 



Carver'^s Farrier, 109 

shoe, and the manner in which it should be 
fitted, before it is nailed on the foot. A shoe 
then, for the fore foot of a horse, should be 
made thinner on the inside rim, than on the 
outside, in order to clear the sole of the foot, 
and to let the bearing rest entirely on the 
crust, or wall of the foot. By the shoe being 
made in this form, it will not require to be 
set so concave, or hollow, as if the shoe was 
made in all places of a thickness ; besides, 
the surface of the shoe will be nearly flat, so 
that when the foot comes to the ground, it 
will be more even and stedfast. But to des- 
cribe the weight of a shoe, is impossible — it 
must be left to the judgment of the shoer; 
but it must be so proportioned, as to com- 
pletely bear the weight of the horse, without 
yielding or spreading out : and it should be 
observed, not to let the web of the shoe be 
too narrow at the heels, which is an error that 
almost all the smiths in this country are guil- 
ty of, as many of their shoes are not more 
than half an inch wide at each point of the 
heel, whereas they should be never less than 
one inch, and more for large horses, as it is 
the heels that want covering or guarding, and 
not the toe of the foot ; for it is almost im- 
possible to make the horse go lame at the toe, 

K 



110 Carver^ s Far tier- 

without driving a nail into the quick — but at 
times it is attended with difficulty, to make 
the horse go sound at the heels of the fore 
feet : the heels of the shoe should neither be 
too long or too short — if they extend too far 
beyond the heels, they act as a lever ; and if 
too short, they sink into the heels, and pro- 
duce corns. Many horses' feet may de said 
to resemble a wedge, that is, their heels are 
low or thin, whilst the toe is deep or thick ; 
there being a far greater distance from the 
corinet, or setting on of the foot, to the point 
or front of the bottom of the toe, than there 
is from the coronet, or bottom of the heel ; 
and w^hen the foot is thus formed, the horse 
is said to be low heeled. — When this is the 
case, great care should be taken not to pare 
away the frogs, binders or heels ; but pare 
down the toe, and shorten it as much as it 
will admit of — leaving a sufficient quantity of 
the crust, or wall, to contain the nails : but 
the nails should never be placed too far back 
towards the heels of the shoe. From the first 
or second heel nail holes, or what is called 
(of the shoe) the quarters, it should be strong 
and wide, as it is the heels which want pro- 
tecting or guarding, and not the toe of the 
oot: and the heels of the shoe should be 



Carver'' s Farrier, 111 

placed over the edge of the anvil, and set oiF 
with the hammer, about an inch from the 
point of the heels, in order that they may not 
rest on the point of the heels of the foot ; so 
that when the shoe is nailed on, there may 
be a space between the heels of the feet, and 
the shoes, nearly sufficient to contain the 
thickness of a dollar — and some feet will re- 
quire more, as, by the horse's travelling, the 
heels of shoes will naturally sink down to 
the heels of the feet. By following this plan 
I could always make the horse travel sound ; 
and in a few months the heels would expand 
and grow up —and the weight of the horse 
would be taken off the heels, and thrown on 
the toes ; or, what is called the centre of 
gravity, would fall on a point that can receive 
no injury; and care should be taken to let 
the heels of the shoe stand full, and not curv- 
ed in, as it is too often done. It is a mis- 
taken idea of 'many smiths, who suppose that 
a horse will cut at the heels, provided the 
heels of his shoe extend beyond the crust of 
the foot : but a horse, to cut at the heels, 
must have his feet in the position that a lady 
has her's, whilst her feet are placed in the 
stocks in a dancing school, with her toes 
turned outwards ; but not one horse in a hun- 
dred travels in this form. When a horse cuts 



112 Carver^ s Farrier, 

with his heels, he strikes his legs a little be- 
low the knee joint, and is said to trot high 
— and this is called a speedy cut : but almost 
all horses that interfere, or cut, strike their 
legs about the pastern joint — and then tliey 
strike with what is generally called the quar- 
ter, or side of the foot ; in this case, the inside 
of the shoe should be brought strait, and fit- 
ted a little within the crust, or wall of the 
foot : and at times, the nails should be left 
out at the quarters, and be placed round the 
toes : and some horses require the inside of 
the shoe to be raised higher than the outside, 
with what is called a feather edged shoe. 
But it is impossible to prevent some horses 
from cutting — nature having formed them 
narrow in the chest, and at the buttocks ; 
and at times they get weary, and are not able 
to carry their feet in a strait line — Many 
smiths commit an error, by making what is 
called the inside quarter of the shoe, weaker 
than the outside, whereas it should be strong- 
er; as the inside of the foot and heel are 
generally the weakest, and consequently re- 
quire more support and cover. And a shoe 
should never be fullered too fine, or near the 
outside edge or rim, as this will have a ten- 
dency to leave the wall, or crust of the foot 
thin. Likewise, the foot should never be 



Carver^ s Farrier* 113 

rasped above the clinches, as nature has form- 
ed the outside crust tough and hard, and the 
inside of the hoof soft and flexible, the 
rasping away the outside crust of the hoof, 
may be compared to cutting away the outside 
bark of a tree : and there are but very few 
people but know that the inner bark is soft 
and tender. 

As to shoeing the hind feet, it is not, in 
general, attended with so much difficulty as 
shoeing the fore ones ; but should the horse 
inrerfere or cut, the same precaution must 
be taken, as I have recommended for the 
fore feet. Care should be taken that the 
clinches of the nails are well let into the 
hoof, and more particularly on the inside of 
the hoof; for should the clinches raise, or 
project out beyond the hoof, it will cause the 
horse to cut. 

There is one omission that I have observ- 
ed in almost all the shoeing smiths in this 
country, which is, that they do not what is 
practised in England, that is to redraw the 
clinches of the nails, which is to place the 
pinchers under the nails the second time, 
^nd drive them up tight with the hammer, 
and rivet them down again : by this method 
the clinches will never raise, but continue 

2k 



114 Carve fs Farrier. 

close in the hoof, so that the horse will not 
cut his legs with the clinches. But if this 
practice is not pursued, by the horse's stamp- 
ing or setting his foot on the ground, the 
nails will be drove farther into the holes of 
the shoe, and the clinches will of course raise, 
I appeal to the understanding of the expe- 
rienced few, shoeing smiths, for the justness 
of these remarks, and likewise for fitting and 
placing the shoes on the feet, and more par- 
ticularly on the fore ones, which require by 
far the greater skill, as there is much more 
weight borne on the fore feet than on the 
hind ones : as it must be observed, that the 
weight of the horse's head and neck, and 
also the rider, are principally thrown on the 
fore legs or feet ; and this is what causes 
corns in the fore feet, and not in the hind 
ones : this also is the cause w^hy corns are fre- 
quently found in the heels of horses' fore 
feet, and not in the hind ones. — When it 
is discovered that there are corns, they should 
be razed off with a drawing knife, and a little 
oil of vitriol poured on them ; or an equal 
portion of spirits of turpentine and oil of 
vitriol mixed together in a bottle, applied for 
a few days : By doing this, and not letting the 
heels of the shoes bear on them, they will 
get well. 



CHAPTER XX, 

Of Founder. 

, This is found to be a destructive disease ^ 
and is generally brouglit on by the inatten- 
tion or neglect of the owner or rider of the 
horse, by letting him cool too fast, after com- 
ing off a hard journey, or violent exercise 
and by letting him stand with his feet in a 
cold damp place : and at other times horses 
have been foundered, by letting them eat 
corn or oats, or drink cold water, before they 
had properly got cool, after they had been 
at hard labour. — This disease is often sup- 
posed to be an affectation of the loins or chest 
and farriers have applied medicines to this 
effect ; whereas the principal seat of the dis- 
ease is in the feet, and has often terminated 
in the death of the horse. The feet will be 
found to be violent hot, and the animal will 
draw his hind feet as close as possible to- 
wards his fore ones, which will cause some 
persons to suppose that he is strained in the 
loins : but when the hind feet are most affect- 



116 Carver^ s Farrier. 

ed the fore feet will be placed under the bel- 
ly, as far as possible, in order to bear the 
weight of carcase, but this is not often the 
case. The disease generally comes on very 
rapidly, and appears in a few hours, after 
hard riding and permiting the horse to stand 
in the snow ; or may take place in conse- 
quence of putting the horse into a hot stable, 
the vessels of the feet not being able to bear 
the sudden change, and of course w^ill bring 
on an inflammation ; and I have, as above 
stated, seen it brought on, by giving cold 
water before the horse had got cool. 

This disease is easily discovered, by the 
inability of the animal to move, and by the 
position of his legs — the whole of them be- 
ing aftected : The horse will lay down and 
be unable to rise, and at times the fetlocks 
will swell, and there will be a violent fever 
in the feet, and the pain will be intense ; 
the coffin bone of the foot will be thrown 
out of its natural position ; the crust will 
fall in ; and there will be rings and circles 
formed round the hoofs : it sometimes hap- 
that the horny sole loses its concavity, and 
becomes convex — or what is generally called 
pummiced : this is frequently the case in a 
severe founder. 



Carver'' s Farrier, 117 

When a horse is found to be foundered 
the shoes should be taken off immediately — 
and the feet should be well pared down at 
the toe, so as to draw blood, with a razing 
iron ; and he should likewise be bled in the 
jugular vein of the neck — and his feet should 
be put into bags of fresh cow dung, or any 
cooling poultice — and the following medi- 
cines should be given twice a day : 

Take of cream of tartar and nitre, of each" 
one ounce ; tartarised antimony, one drachm : 
make into a ball, wdth wheat flower and mo- 
lasses. If costive, give a purging ball and 
clyster. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Of Splents, 

These are hard substances that grow on 
the shank bone, and are of different shapes 
and sizes : young horses are more subject 
to them than old ones — in young horses 
they often disappear and wear off; very few 
horses put out splents after they are seven- or 
eight years old. A splent that arises in the 
middle of the shank bone, is not so danger- 
ous as those which arise on the back part 
of this bone : when they grow large, and 
press against the back sinew, they always 
cause lameness or stiffness, by rubbing against 
it ; but the others, except they are situated 
near the joints, seldom cause lameness. As 
to splents, I judge it best not to meddle with 
them, unless they are of such a size as to 
disfigure the horse, or cause him to go lame. 
When a splent first makes its appearance, 
it should be bathed with vinegar, to which 
may be added a small piece of camphire, 
and this will often put a stop to their growth. 



120 Carver^s Farrier. 

A variety of remedies are prescribed for 
this disorder : Some have recommended, to 
rub the splent with a round stick, or a ham- 
mer handle, until it is almost raw, and then 
to touch it with oil of origanum : others have 
laid on a pitch plaster, with a little sublimate 
but I have always succeeded, by firing, and 
blistering with the blister that is recommen- 
ded in the chapter on the blood spavin : the 
blister should be repeated two or three times 
observing to wait three or four days between 
each application : during this time, the splent 
should be anointed with the ointment of 
marshmallows. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

Of a Curb and Ring Bone, 

What is generally called a curb, is a hard 
bony substance, situated a little below the 
back part of the hock of the hind leg ; and 
at times, when it has been neglected, will 
cause a stiffness, and the horse will, at first 
starting, go lame : and when the bone is affect- 
ed, it proves that the callous or hard sub- 
stance is fixed fast to the bone of the leg. — 
When this is the case, the most sure way to 
perform a cure, is to fire with a thin iron, 
drawing some straight lines, about a half an 
inch apart, and then cross-bar them ; but 
this operation should be performed by a 
person of judgment — and the horse should 
be confined in a pair of stocks. After the 
firing is thus judiciously performed, the blis- 
ter that is recommended in the chapter on 
the spavin, should be applied, and repeated 
three times, and there need be no doubt of a 
cure being performed. 

L 



122 Carver'' s Farrier* 



Ri7tg Bone. 

This is a swelling that grows on the pas- 
tern bone, and runs round the coronet of the 
foot, and appears like a ring, from which it 
derives its name — and it generally produces 
lameness ; a cure is generally pei formed by 
firing and blistering. I once saw a cure of 
a ring worm effected, by flawing oflF the skin 
round the worm, and then placing a thin 
piece of copper around on the top of the 
worm, bringing the skin over the copper, 
and binding the copper fast to the affected 
part — by this method verdegris was produ- 
ced, and the worm finally eaten off" : the cop- 
per was taken off* every two or three days 
and wiped clean and replaced again. But 
by whatever means the cure is attempted 
or performed, it will require that the horse 
rests for six months — and he should be turn- 
ed to pasture, if the season of the year will 
permit. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

Of the Grease. 

The grease may be considered as a dis- 
order of the vessels, as well as the blood. 
Swellings in the legs of horses may be ac- 
counted for, from a partial stagnation of the 
blood and juices in the finer vessels, where 
the circulation is most languid — and when 
there is a want of proper exercise, and a 
proper muscular compression on the vessels 
to pusii forward the returning blood, and 
propel the inert and half stagnated fluids 
through their vessels : the blood in such 
cases cannot so easily ascend as descend 
as a greater quantity is brought by the arte- 
ries, than can be returned by the veins. 
Considering the grease in this point of view- 
it may be looked on as a local disorder, and is 
often an attendant of some distemper — 
such as the farcy, yellows, or dropsy : and 
should the horse be afflicted with either of 
these disorders, they must be first cured, be- 
fore the grease can be removed ; but proper 



124 Carver^s Farrier* 

care should be taken to cut off the hair close 
round the legs and fetlock joints, and to keep 
them properly clean. 

When it is first discovered that a horse's 
heels swell in the stable, and go down on his 
being exercised, care should be taken to wash 
them clean, every time he comes in, with 
Castile soap suds, chamber lye, or vinegar 
and v/ater, which, with good rubbing, will 
bring down the swelling ; this method of 
treatment will often remove the complaint. 
But should the legs continue to swell, they 
should be bathed two or three times a day, 
with good old vinegar — and a bandage of 
linen or flannel should be bound round 
the Ipo-^ ^bovit the width of thiee or four 
fingers — and if rags dipped in the vinegar 
are placed under the bandage for a few days 
they will be of great service : by this method 
the bandage will support the vessels of the 
legs, till they have recovered their proper 
tone. When I have found it difficult to re- 
move the swelling of the legs, which often 
happens, I have had a pair of stockings 
made, of strong canvas or leather, and laced 
them tight around the legs — and washed the 
legs two or three times a day with the fol- 
lowing wash : 



Carver^s Farrier, 125 

Rectified spirits of wine, four ounces — 
dissolve in it half an ounce of camphire 
and add one quart of the best vinegar. 

This complaint is looked on as trifling, 
but those who are unacquainted with the 
disorder ; but I have many times found it 
difficult to conquer ; and was I to go through 
the whole of the practice that I have pur- 
sued in its order, it would tire the patience 
of the reader, and probably be of little use 
to him. I therefore shall conclude, by rec- 
ommending the following diuretick balls, to 
be givin one every morning, for three or four 
weeks successively : 

Take of yellow rosin, four ounces : salt of 

tartar, and sal prunella, of each, two ounces; 

Venice soap, half a pound ; oil of juniper, 

half an ounce — make into balls of two ounces 
weight. 



L 2 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

Of Scratches, 

The disorder that is commonly called 
scratches, and is found in the heels of horses, 
has much affinity with the grease, and is often 
a concomitant of the same distemper. When 
a horse is found to have cracks or scratches 
in his heels, the best method in the first place 
to be pursued, is to apply poultices made of 
turnips and linseeds, with a little common 
turpentine and hog's lard, to bring on a dis- 
charge : this being done, and a suppuration 
brought on for a short time, the cracks may 
then be dried up, with the wash that is re- 
commended in the preceding chapter. It is 
best after this to keep the heels supple, and 
softened with currier's dubbing, or neat's 
foot oil : this will soften, or prevent the skin 
from cracking, in the same manner that it 
preserves leather. When the sores are deep, 
and prove obstinate, use the following oint- 
ment — for no foundation for a cure can be 
laid, until the wounds are cleansed at the 
bottom : 



128 Carver'' s Farrier. 

Venice turpentine, four ounces ; quick- 
silver, one^unce — incorporated well together, 
by rubbing it some time ; add to it sheep's 
suet, and honey, of each, two ounces. 

If the heels are anointed with mercurial 
ointment, after the wounds are thoroughly 
cleansed, this will often make a final cure. 
Great care should be taken to wash the legs 
clean with soap suds, after the horse has 
come in from a journey. During this treat- 
ment, the horse should have two or three 
diuretick balls given him in a week. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

Of Sand cracks and Quittors. 

That which is called a sand crack, is a 
little cleft, or crack of the hoof, and gener- 
ally makes its appearance on the inside of 
the fore feet of horses, and runs in a straight 
line from the coronet downwards, and pene- 
trates through the horny part of the hoof. 
At times it proves troublesome to cure ; but 
if it passes through the ligament that unites 
the hoof with the coronet, is often found to 
to breed a quittor, or false quarter, which is 
hard to cure ; but when the crack penetrates 
only through the hoof, it should be rasped 
down at the edges, and the crack should be 
drawn open with a razing iron, and the sand 
which is collected, should all be taken out. 
The operator having proceeded thus far, 
he should then draw a stroke across the crack 
with a hot firing iron, as near as possible to 
the coronet : afterwards it should be dressed 
with thick pledgets of cotton, spread with 
wound or basilicon ointment. The dress- 



130 Carver^s Farrier. 

ing should remain on two or three days : by 
this time the pain will have left the foot. 
When the dressing is removed, a little pre- 
cipitate should be applied to the crack, and 
the foot dressed with a mild ointment, such 
as elder or raarshmallows. The dressing 
should be bound on with list. When en- 
tirely taken off, the foot should be immersed 
three or four times a day in cold water, and 
fresh cow dung should be applied to the bot- 
tom of the foot. 

A quittor is an ulcer, formed between the 
hair and hoof, and on the inside of the quar- 
ter of the foot. It often arises from the hor- 
ses striking the part aifected, with the heel 
of the other foot or shoe ; or as it is generally 
expressed, the horse has corked himself; 
and the gravel will work its way into the 
wound and lodge about the coronet. If it 
is taken in time, it may be cured with cleans- 
ing, dressing and bathing the coronet with 
spirits of wine, two or three times a day ; 
but if it has been of long standing, and the 
matter has formed a lodgment, and become a 
foul ulcer, the firing iron, or the knife must 
be applied. I have performed cures both by 
the knife and the firing iron. With a round 
pointed iron, about a quarter of an inch thick 



Carver'' s Farrier. 131. 

1 have burnt a hole through the swelling, 
beginning towards the heel and pushing it 
forward to the toe of the foot, as far as the 
swelling continued. After the hole had 
been made, I have rolled up a quarter of an 
ounce of corrosive sublimate in a piece of 
writing paper, and made it about as long 
as the hole, and as large as a goose quill, 
and afterwards applied the strong wound 
ointment, composed of Venice turpentine, 
rosin, verdigris, and hog's lard. The dress- 
ing must be made sepure, and remain on 
three or four days. When taken off, it must 
be dressed again with the wound ointment, 
and if the core does not come out, the subli- 
mate must be applied again. By this method 
I have brought out cores as large as my thumb 
and this has made a complete green wound. 
When this has been affected, the wound has 
been dressed with the tincture recommended 
in a former chapter, and the ointment of 
marshmallows. The horse must be thrown 
down to perform the operation. I have 
also used the knife, but prefer the firing iron 
in bad cases ; but in both operations it re- 
quires time for nature to do her part. The 
owner of the horse must not expect him to 
work in less time than two months, and if 



432 Carver^ s Farrier. 

possible he should be turned out to pasture, 
or the foot treated in the stable as recommend- 
ed before with cow dung and cold water. 



CHAPTER XXVL 

Of Relax^ and Scouring. 

It is evident, that at times horses are sub- 
ject to different kinds of loosnesses or scour- 
ing. I shall not therefore trouble the reader 
with a tedious description of the complaint ; 
but contentmyself with as brief a description 
as possible. A lax, or scouring in horses, 
is a frequent discharge of thin watery mu- 
cus, phlegmy, frothy, fat, black matter, by 
the fundament, and mostly with excrements ; 
but sometimes without : at times it is attend- 
ed with gripings of the guts. This com- 
plaint at times is thought to be brought on 
by giving the horse unwholesome food, such 
as musty hay, stale shorts, or damaged oats. 
From whatever causes the complaint might 
originate, the stomach requires to be strength- 
ened ; therefore, a cordial drink should be 
given as soon as possible. Give the follow- 
ing drink : 

Take of anniseed and carraway seed, of 
each one ounce ; juniper berries, two ounces ; 

M 



134 Carver^ s Farrier. 

bruise the seeds and berries, and boil them 
in three half pints of good ale ; add one 
ounce of liquid laudanum, one gill of brandy, 
and half a pint of molasses : this drink may 
be repeated every three hours, if necessary. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

Of the disorders of the Kidneys and Bladder, 

The signs of the kidneys of a horse being 
affected, or hurt, are weakness of the back, 
and loins, with a difficulty of staleing. He 
will lose his appetite ; his eyes will appear 
dead and heavy ; the urine will be thick and 
foul ; and will at times appear bloody. If an 
attempt is made to put him backwards in a 
straight line, he will be in great pain, which 
can be observed as soon as he is put to trial. 
Bleeding plentifully is the principal remedy 
to prevent inflammation, and particularly if 
a fever attends, with a difficulty of staleing. 
A rowel should be put into his belly, which 
I have found to be of great service. If the 
horse be of great value, a great deal of cau- 
tion and care is necessary, in order to pre- 
serve his life. Give the following drink, 
which I am confident, by repeated trials, will 
be found to be the best ever administered. 

Take one pint best castor oil, two ounces 
of liquid laudanum, two ounces of sweet 



136 Carver^s Farrier, 

spirits of nitre, and half a gill of spirits of 
turpentine. 

A stimulating diuretick ball : 

Take of juniper berries powdered, one 
ounce ; half an ounce of camphire; sal prunel- 
lo, six drachms; nitre, one ounce; make into a 
ball with honey or molasses. 

The loins of the horse should be foment- 
ed three or four times a day, with a strong 
decoction of herbs, such as wormwood, tansey> 
or pennyroyal. A large piece of flannel should 
be dipped in the fomentation, after it has 
been boiled, and laid on the loins, as hot as 
the horse can bear it without scalding. After 
the drink, or the ball has been given, the 
horse should be made to drink plenty of water 
with gum arabic dissolved in it. Give the 
following stimulating glister : 

Take juniper and bayberries, of each a 
handful ; powdered nitre, one ounce ; jalap, 
one ounce ; boil into a decoction, add a pint 
of linseed oil. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Of Alterative Medicines, 

What is meant by alteratives, are those 
medicines that have no immediate sensible 
operation, but gradually gain upon the con- 
stitution of all animals, and change the state 
of the blood, and juices of the body from a 
state of distemperature, to that of health. 
They correct the blood and juices of the 
whole system, and accelerate the motion of 
the blood; and are often more beneficial than 
purging medicines. Nitre ranks first among 
the alteratives ; sulphur and crude antimo- 
ny are the next in repute. I shall therefore 
take upon me to recommend nitre, from the 
opportunity that I have had in the course of 
my practice, to witness its powerful and bene- 
ficial effects. Nitre or purified salt-petre has 
been long held in high estimation by those 
who were acquainted with its virtues. I have 
depended more on nitre, in all inflammatory 
disorders, than any other medici e ; it has an 
extensive power in allaying fevers, taken in 

2 M 



138 Carver^ s Farrier* 

proper quantities; is excellent in cases of 
surfeit, hide bound, grease heels, and it will 
greatly assist in curing the farcy, and many 
other distempers to which horses are subject. 
It has a great advantage over other medicines, 
its operation is chiefly by urine. It neither 
requires confinement or clothing. The horse 
can be moderately worked through the whole 
course. There has been many trials made 
in the London hospitals of nitre, nnd it was 
found to correct the acrimony of the juices 
of the human body, and has been the means 
of causing old ulcers, and sore legs, to heal 
up. One of the most eminent physical 
writers speaks of it in the highest terms of 
praise. Lord Bacon held it in such high 
estimation, that he believed it would prolong 
life. As a proof of its efficacious powers, 
those who are in the practice of what is call- 
ed curing or salting down beef and pork, are 
certain that it will resist putrefaction. If it 
will thus preserve the flesh of dead animals, 
why not the blood and flesh of living ones ? 
That the powers of it may be proved, by 
those that bleed horses, let them make a solu- 
tion of it and mix with the blood that is drawn 
from a horse, and they will find that it will 
prevent the blood from coadulation, and 
change its colour from a dark or black, to a 



Carver's Farrier, 139 

beautiful florid and will preserve it for a con- 
siderable length of time. 

If I am not mistaken in the name of the 
author, Mulpighius, informs us that he inject- 
ed it into the blood vessels of a dog, where it 
immediately mixed with the blood without 
any detriment to the animal ; but it caused a 
more copious discharge of urine. It, has 
been known to destroy worms in the stomach 
of different animals. I am persuaded that 
nitre is one of the best and safest alteratives 
that has been discovered. 

The quantity of nitre that should be given, 
is two ounces at one time. It should be finely 
powdered, and given in the morning for five 
or six days running. In cases of high fevers, 
I have given as much as half a pound a day : 
and often given the horse two or three horns 
full of molasses, mixt with powdered ginger, 
to make it sit easy on the stomach. 

To mix alterative powders for a horse : 
Take half a pound flour of brimstone, half a 
pound of powdered nitre, two ounces of crude 
antimony ; mix them well together, and give 
the horse two ounces a day for one week ; 
then rest a few days and repeat. The pow- 
ders may be given in his feed, and should be 
given plentifully to a horse that has been 
foundered. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

Of Consumption. 

A sonsumption is a defect or disease on 
the horse's lungs. The liver becomes putri- 
fied, and the lights will be found to be full 
of black spots, about the size of half a dol- 
lar. The symptoms of consumption are 
as follows : — The eyes look dull, the ears 
and feet are generally hot, he coughs strong- 
ly, at times ; sneezes much, and frequently 
groans ; his flanks will have a quick motion ; 
he gleets often at the nose, and discharges 
a yellow curdled matter, and loses his appe- 
tite. At times he w^ill eat grain, but refuses 
hay. The grain will cause him to feel hot. 

Bleeding is one of the principle things to 
be depended on to effect a cure, which 
should be often repeated, by taking about one 
quart at a time. Mercurial purges should 
also be given. Half an ounce of calomel, 
mixed with a physical ball ; and the follow- 
ing alterative powders should be given at 
intervals of time. 



142 Carver's Farrier. 

Take cinnabar of antimony, one pound ; 
powder fine one pound of nitre, add the 
same quantity of gum guaiacum ; give an 
ounce of these powders three times a day in 
the horse's feed. 

The horse should be turned out to pasture 
in the spring of the year. The salt marshes 
are to be preferred, and more to be depended 
on than medicines, as the grass will cause 
great alterations in the blood and juices, and 
he will receive the benefit of the fresh open 
air, and gentle exercise. But, if after all 
that has been tried, the horse relapses, and 
a yellow curdled matter continues to run 
from the nose, and he gets emaciated, and 
sweats profusely, and the cough continues 
with a rattling, there can be little or no hopes 
of his recovery. In order to save expense, 
it would be best to dispatch him, as an incu- 
rable patient. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

Of Scratches^ Rat tails, ^c. 

Horses, at times, are subject to a complaint 
called the scratches ; that is, their heels are 
swelled, and full of cracks in the fetlock 
joint, which at times will cause them to go 
lame. Great care and attention are requi- 
site to perform a cure in this disease. The 
scratches have some affinity to the grease, 
and are very often nearly the same complaints. 
When either of these are found to have taken 
place, the treatment should be similar- In 
the first place, the heels should be poulticed 
with linseed, turnips, onions, and wheat 
shorts, or bran, boiled together until all 
becomes a pulp : then add as much hog's 
lard as will keep the ingredients soft, when 
applied. The poultice should be kept on 
a few days, in order to relax the parts, and 
make the heels supple. Care should be 
taken to keep the heels clean, by washing 
them with warm water and soap. If curri- 
er's dubbing is applied, which is made of 



144 Carver'* s Farrier* 

oil and tallow, it will keep the skin from 
cracking, and preserve it as it does leather. 
When they prove obstinate, and the sores are 
deep, they must be laid open, in order to lay 
a foundation for a cure by going to the bot- 
tom, or what is called making a green wound ; 
afterwards, dress with the following ointment: 

Take of Venice turpentine, four ounces ; 
quick silver, one ounce ; incorporate togeth- 
er, by rubbing some time, then add honey 
and mutton suet, of each two ounces, with 
half an ounce of verdigris, finely powdered : 
anoint with this twice a day, and if the 
horse is full or fleshy, bleed and purge. If 
the blood is in a bad state, give the altera- 
tive powder, as recommended in the chapter 
on alteratives. 

Rat tails are excresences, which rise from 
the pasture to the middle of the shank, and 
they derive the name from the resemblance 
they bear to a rat's tail. Some are moist and 
others are dry. The former should be 
treated with drying ointment, and washes ; 
such as mercurial ointment : but if the hard- 
ness does not yield to those medicines, it 
should be pared off with a knife, dressed 
with tar, turpentine, and honey ; to which 
may be added verdigris, or white vitriol : 



Carver's Farrier, 145 

but before the knife has been used, the fol- 
lowing ointment may be tried : 

Take of black soap, half a pound ; quick 
lime, four ounces ; and vinegar, sufficient to 
make an ointment. 

The crown scab breaks out round the cor- 
onet of the foot, and is attended with a scur- 
finess, and itching. The best method of 
treatment in this disease, is to mix marsh- 
mallow ointment and yellow basilicon, equal 
quantities of each, spread them on raw cotton 
and lay it round the coronet. The horse 
should have a dose or two of physic, and di- 
uretic balls given him at intervals of time, or 
alterative powders, as recommended in a for- 
mer chapter. 



N 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

On the Blood and Pulse of the Horse » 

In this chapter I mean to be very particu- 
lar, as it is one of the most essential princi- 
ples in the veterinary art, or farriery ; and by 
which the practitioner in most cases ought 
to be guided, especially in all kinds of fevers. 
The heart may be said to be the great reser- 
voir, or fountain of life and blood in all ani- 
mals ; therefore a knowledge of the circula- 
tion or the rapidity of the blood's motion, 
throu2rh the heart and arteries, is an essen- 
tial point for the practitioner to be acquaint- 
ed with. By a knowledge of this science, he 
will be brought to admire the power and 
wisdom of the all- wise creator of the universe. 
The heart may, with propriety, be compared 
to a large lake, which sends out its waters 
into thousands of rivers and small streams. 
In this manner the heart propels, or forces 
the blood through thousands of arteries and 
veins, in all living animals. It is wonderful 
to observe the rapid motion of the blood, and 



148 Carver^ s Farrier. 

the force with which the heart and arteries 
labour to propel it round the whole organi- 
zed system. The most accurate calculation 
that has been made, is, that it beats about 
forty strokes in a minute, so that in propor- 
tion, as the number is increased, the fever is 
rising. When it increases to above fifty, we 
may conclude the fever is very high. This 
calculation is easily made by placing the 
fingers on any part of the arteries ; those 
that run up on each side of the neck are 
generally to be seen beating and likewise 
felt, a little above the chest. There is also 
one runs up on the inside of each fore leg ; 
and one on the inside of each jaw bone. A 
strict attention to the pulse is very important 
to the practitioner, as there are times when 
a horse should not be bled, although he is 
found to be unwell. This must be determin- 
ed by the pulse alone : an old experienced 
practitioner's judgment is guided by it, there- 
fore he makes as accurate observations and 
calculations as possible. 

There are diseases to which horses are sub- 
ject, that will not admit of bleeding. I re- 
collect a case some years past, to which my- 
self and Mr. William Carver, of Chatham 
street, was called ; he was a countryman of 



Cwvefs Farrier, 149 

mine, from England, and one of the best 
farriers that ever came to this country. There 
are many others who profess to have a tho- 
rough knowledge in veterinary surgery ; over- 
stocked with diplomas of which they boast, 
like coxcombs with their fine coats, and a 
little knowledge of the latin language ; but 
I never saw them perform cures equal to this 
good old friend of mine. He was a man of 
sound judgment, and long experience. We 
went hand in hand in all difficult cases. I 
hope the reader will pardon this digression. 

The case alluded to was of a very fine 
horse, belonging to a gentleman in New 
York. The animal was taken sick, and his 
disease appeared to be a very complicated 
one. The pulse was low and languid. My 
friend was for letting blood ; but I differed in 
opinion, and said, that if the horse was bled, 
he would live but a short time. I however 
yielded to his judgment. He bled him, and 
the horse died in about half an hour after- 
wards. 

I have mentioned this case in order to 
put gentlemen and others on their guard 
against letting stable keepers, ostlers, coach- 
men, and grooms, bleed their horses, as they 
are generally ignorant of the motion of the 

n2 



150 Carver'' s Farrier* 

blood. So valuable an animal, therefore, 
should not be tampered with by those who 
know nothing of his economy. It was my 
opinion whilst writing this chapter that I could 
not too much enforce the necessity of the 
study of this important branch of farriery, 
as the physicians' judgment is generally di- 
rected by it : for when a horse has been bled 
prior to his attending, he cannot form that 
correct judgment, because he had not an op- 
portunity to examine the quantity and the 
state of the blood. Very accurate observa- 
tions can be made with regard to the motion 
of the blood, and the hardness of the artery 
from its difficult vibrations. This is the 
only sure guide to distinguish an inflamma- 
tory fever with dense sizy blood, from an ir- 
regular depressed one, and how often bleed- 
ing should be repeated in fevers, and other 
disorders. Many a fine noble horse, has fal- 
len a sacrifice to the ignorance of those who 
have bled and doctored them ; when a know- 
ledge of this important branch of farriery 
might have saved and restored them to per- 
fect health and soundness. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

Of the Running Thrush and Canker. 

The Thrush is an huposthume that gath- 
ers in the frogs of horses feet, and at times 
becomes ulcerous, and discharges a foul 
stinking humour. It often totally destroys 
the whole frog, and causes it to decay, or rot 
off; and will frequently cause the horse to 
limp so much as to make it necessary to put 
bar shoes upon him to guard the frogs and 

heels. 

I recollect some time past, that a Mr. Cle- 
ments, who is said to be in possession of a 
diploma from the Veterinary college, Lon- 
don, observed in one of the courts of justice 
in this city, (New York) that a horse never 
went lame with the thrush in the frogs of his 
feet ; and that a horse was never known to 
die with the bots. So much for theory and 
a diploma. If Mr. Clements had been in the 
practice of shoeing horses for thirty years 
and like myself, had shod many thousands 
of horses, he would have known that a great 



152 Carver^ s Farrier, 

number of horses limp in traveling, on ac- 
count of the thrushes in the feet ; and that 
they frequently die with the bots. A great 
many theoretical authors like Mr: Clements 
has recommended bar shoes to be put on the 
feet, for the thrushes in the frogs, and say 
that the bar which covers the heel of the 
foot should rest on the frog. Reason and 
common sense ought to teach us that this 
theory is impracticable ; for how can the bar 
of a shoe rest on the frog, when the whole of 
the frog is destroyed, or rotted away with the 
disease. The least pressure with the fin- 
ger on the decayed part, will b e painful to 
the horse and cause him to flinch. I write 
upon the principles of long experience, and 
not on the vision of theories and diplomas. 
The object I have in view, is to prevent the 
owners and lovers of horses from being im- 
posed upon, and as they generally are, and 
not for my own emolument or agrandizement. 
As to horses dying with the bots, almost 
every superanuated old woman knows that 
the bots destroy numbers of fine horses. 
But to return fo the subject of the horses 
feet : when a horse is discovered to have a 
violent running thrush in his feet, no attempt 
should be made to put an immediate stop to 



Carver^ s Farrier, 153 

the discharge, because it is an effort in nature 
to relieve itself from its infirmities. It is 
supposed to originate from a disordered state 
of the fluid system, and is an outlet of foul 
matter, in order to renovate, or purify the 
general mass of blood ; therefore no drying 
washes should be applied before the horse 
has been bled, and a purging ball given him ; 
he should likewise have a few diuretic balls, 
and the frogs should be daily washed clean 
with castile soap and rainwater. When the 
thrush has been long neglected, it is apt to 
produce a canker ; in order to prevent which 
the following wash should be applied. 

Take spirits of wine and vinegar, of each 
two ounces ; tincture of myrrh and aloes, 
each one ounce ; segyptiacum, half an ounce ; 
mix them together and buthe the frogs with it 
twice a day. 

If, after all that has been done, a canker 
should take place, and the foot prove to be 
rotten, apply strong oils, such as vitriol, aqua 
fortis, and butter of antimony till the fungus 
is destroyed. Apply this daily, and it will 
keep down the rising flesh. A little fine 
precipitate powders should be sprinkled over 
the new grown flesh until the sole begins to 
grow anew. 



CHAPTER XXXIIL 

Of the diseases of the Feet, 

The feet of horses are subject to a variety 
of diseases, such as hoof bound, narrow heels, 
and corns. Many of these complaints are 
brought on by bad shoeing ; but there are 
others which are natural, and often incurable. 
It may naturally be supposed that no person 
can be more capable of forming a correct and 
proper judgment of the horses foot, than an 
old and experienced shoeing smith ; and there 
are a few such characters in this city, and 
but few. The greater part of them have 
never made the anatomy of the foot their 
study. They are generally employed as jour- 
neymen, and like birds of passage, are here 
to-day and gone to-morrow. Talk to them of 
the internal structure of the foot, of the coffin, 
and coronet bones, and you will find them 
entirely ignorant, and know no more about 
the matter than the horse knows about them. 

A horse may be said to be hoof bound 
when his foot is contracted ; that is, too small 



156 Carver^ s Farrier, 

in proportion to his body. The heels are 
narrow, and drawn almost together. The 
horny soal will be found to be exceeding hard 
and dry. When this is the case, the hoofs 
should be opened with the butteriss and draw- 
ing knife ; but the points of the heels should 
not be cut away. What is called the outer soal 
of the foot, will often become bound, and so 
constructed, that it will press on the inner 
and fleshy soal, and cause lameness. When 
this is the case, the foot should be stopped 
with cow dung, or a poultice made of bran 
and hog's lard, and bound on the foot. It has 
been my opinion for many years, that oiling 
the horse's feet is an erroneous practice and 
ought not to be pursued, as it has a tendency 
to stop the perspiration, or circulation of the 
blood that is constantly moving through the 
whole foot. The oil will likewise cause the 
dust to adhere to the foot, and stick to it 
like glue or paste, consequently the pores 
must be closed. All that should be done is 
to follow up nature as near as possible, and 
apply remedies similar to those the feet would 
partake of if the horse was out at pasture. 

We never saw a tub of oil placed out in a 
field for a horse to go and plunge his feet 
into ; but supposing this to be the case, is it 
reasonable to suppose that he would delib- 



Carver^ s Farrier, 157 

erately go and dip his feet in it ? certainly 
not. I have known a horse's feet to be con- 
stantly oiled with lamp oil, so that when he 
had been newly shod, and the foot rasped 
after shoeing, it had the appearance of an old 
ruiity bar of iron. All that is requisite is to 
stop the cavities of the feet with clay or cow 
dung, three or four times a week when stand- 
ing in the stable in perfect health. 

Corns in the feet of horses are generally to 
be found near the points of the heels of the 
fore feet, which at times will cause a horse 
to limp exceedingly ; and are very -painful 
and tender. They often lay deep under the 
sole of the foot, and should be drawn out or 
opened with a razing iron. When this is 
done, a little spirits of salts, or oil of vitriol 
should be applied, and the foot stopped up 
with tow or flax dipt in tar and hog's lard, 
and kept in with splints under the shoe for 
a few days ; then apply the cold stopping as 
recommended before. It is often found 
necessary to put on bar shoes, in order to 
guard and protect the heels. Corns are often 
brought on by improper shoeing, the shoe 
being too weak ai the heals, and bearing too 
hard on the points. See the chapter on 
shoeing. 

O 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Of Colds, 

Horses, as well as human beings, are sub- 
ject to colds. When a horse has taken a cold 
he frequently coughs and appears dull and 
heavy, more or less, according to the severity 
of the cold. His eyes are at times moist and 
watery. The kernels about the ears, and 
under the jaws swell, and the nose gleets, 
together with a rattling in breathing. When 
the cold is violent, he will be feverish ; his 
flanks work quick, loathe his food, and at 
times, water. When these symptoms are 
attended with a slimy mouth, ears and feet 
cold, and great inward soreness, they are 
evident symptoms of a bad fever. 

When a horse is in perfect health, the pores 
and outlets of his skin are constantly breath- 
ing out a fine fluid steam, like that from hot 
water, or smoke from a fire ; but when he 
is in the state as before described, the pores 
are closed or locked up ; the perspirable 
matter has not a free passage, and are pre- 



160 Carver^ s Farrier. 

vented from going off; they recoil on the 
blood, vitiating its quality, and overflowing 
the vessels ; affects the head glands, or ker- 
nels of the neck and throat, and other princi- 
pal parts of the constitution. But if the 
horse coughs strong, snorts after it, loses but 
little of his appetite, pricks up his ears, moves 
freely in the stall, dungs and stales freely, and 
his coat does not stare, there is little or no 
danger to be apprehended ; he will require no 
medicines. If he is strong, take about three 
quarts of blood from him, and give him warm 
messef) of shorts ; add an ounce of nitre to his 
drink two or three times a day. If the disorder 
should increase, the horse feel hot, and re- 
fuse his feed, take again two quarts more of 
blood, and give the following drink : 

Infuse three ounces of aniseeds with two 
drachms of saffron, in three half pints of 
water : add to it four ounces of honey, to 
which put four spoonsful of sweet oil. This 
drink should be given every night. If the 
horse be costive, his body should b e kept 
open with emolient clysters, or cream of tar- 
tar dissolved in his drink, and taken in quan- 
tities of three or four ounces a day : or, take 
the following excellent cordial ball, as recom- 



Carver^ s Farrier. 161 

mended by the celebrated Dr. Bracken, to 
whom all lovers of horses are much indebted 
for his works on Farriery. 

Take aniseeds, carraway seeds, and the 
greater cardimons, finely powdered, of each 
two ounces ; flour of brimstone, two ounces ; 
turmeric, powdered, one ounce and a half; 
saffron, two drachms ; Spanish juice dissolv- 
ed in water, two ounces; oil of aniseed, half 
an ounce ; liquorice powder, one ounce and a 
half; wheat flour and molasses sufficient to 
make into a paste, give one ball a day, the 
size of a pullet's tg^. This I think will have 
the desired effect. 



o2 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

Of a Broken Wind, 

This disorder seems to be little under- 
stood. Mr. Gibson, who had obtained as 
much knowledge of horses, as most authors 
who have treated on the subject, thought 
that it was caused by injudicious, or hasty 
feeding of horses when they are young. By 
this means, the growth of the lunsrs, and all 
the contents of the chest are so increased, 
and in a few years become so enlarged as to 
overfill the chest, and consequently leave 
not room enough to expand themselves and 
perform their ordinary functions. This cei- 
tainly may be deemed sound reasoning ; for 
a narrow constructed chest, with large lungs 
may naturally be the cause of this disorder. 
In the course of my practice, I have opened 
several horses after they were dead, and found 
the heart and lungs of more than natural 
size. Horses rising eight years of age are 
as liable to this distemper as at any period 
of life. The reason why this disorder 



164 Carver^ s Farrier. 

becomes more apparent at this age, is be- 
cause the horse comes to his strength and 
maturity. At six years he commonly fin- 
ishes his growth in height, and lets down 
his belly, and all his parts are grown to their 
full extent ; so that the pressure on the lungs 
and midriff are more increased. 

The disproportion of the lungs have been 
observed to be almost twice their natural 
size, but perfectly secured, and without any 
ulceration or defect in the windpipe, or glands : 
It therefore appears that the enormous size 
of the lungs and the space they occupy, by 
preventing the free action of the midriff, is 
the cause of this disorder ; and as the lungs 
are thus enlarged, they must of course lose a 
great deal of their spring and tone. 

When we consider a broken wind in this 
point of view, it must be said to rank among 
the incurable diseases of horses ; and all 
the boasted pretentions to cure are vain and 
without foundation ; and can amount to no- 
thing more than palliating the symptoms, and 
mitigating their violence, so as to render 
the horse as useful as possible under this 
afflicting malady. It is generally the case, 
before a broken wind appears, that the horse 
has a dry, obstinate cough, without the ap- 



Carver^s Farrier* 165 

pearance of sickness or the least symptoms 
of his having lost his appetite ; but on the 
contrary, he craves food, and will eat foul 
litter, and drink a great deal of water. 

When this is discovered to be the case 
he should immediately be bled to the quan- 
tity of three quarts, and a strong purging 
ball should be given him, and repeated two 
or three times. By this method, I believe 
the disease may be prevented : at least my 
experience has proved it to my satisfaction. 

I wish to recommend the following balls 
for the purpose : Take gum ammoniacum, 
galbanum, and assafoetida, of each two oun- 
ces ; squills, four ounces ; cinnabar of anti- 
mony, six ounces; saffron, half an ounce; 
make into balls with honey, and give the 
quantity of a pullet's Q^g every morning. 

Broken winded horses should have their hay 
and oats sprinkled with chamber lie, or fair 
water : and I have seen them greatly relieved 
by being constantly fed on potatoes. Gar- 
lick is likewise found to be of great assist- 
ance to the wind. They should be carefully 
fed and moderately exercised. 

I recollect when I was a young man, to 
have seen a singular experiment performed 
on a mare, belonging to a gentleman who 



166 Carver'' s Farritr, 

held her in high estimation. She was one 
of the most beautiful creatures in creation 
but was exceedingly broken winded. It 
was the opinion of an old experienced far- 
rier, that if the wind or air could be brought 
off the lungs by any other conveyance than 
by the nostrils or mouth, it would give relief 
to the animal. Accordingly there was a 
leaden pipe constructed of about twelve or 
sixteen inches in length, very thin, and 
about a half an inch in diameter ; atone end 
of which it was turned over a little, so as to 
form a foot, with small holes pinched round 
so as to admit a needle. When every thing 
was prepared and ready for the operation 
the mare was thrown down, and the old doc- 
tor made an incision just above the funda- 
ment, so as to miss the gut called the rectum 
through which the excrements pass from 
the body. The leaden pipe was then intro- 
duced, over the gut, and sewed in with a 
strong double silk thread. This had the 
desired affect : the air rushed back through 
the pipe, and the animal could not be per- 
ceived to be broken winded. I saw the 
mare several years after, and she bore every 
appearance of a sound horse. I should 
like to try the experiment myself, for I must 



Carver'^ s Farrier. 167 

acknowledge I have the greatest confidence 
in its efficacy. The expenses are so tri- 
fling, that it can be no object to the owner 
of a fine horse to have the operation per- 
formed. 

It has been the opinion of many owners 
of broken winded horses, that if they were 
turned out to pasture, they would recover : 
but experience has proved the contrary ; for 
after their return to the stable and being 
put on dry feed, they will be more than ever 
oppressed with short breathing, for want of 
that open air and moist feed which they ob- 
tain while at pasture. In the spring of the 
year the horse might have a few bunches of 
green grass given him in the stable. The 
following is an excellent drink for thick win- 
ded horses : 

Take of Barbadoes and common tar, two ta- 
ble spoonsful, mixed with the yolk of an t^g ; 
dissolve this in a pint of warm ale, and give 
fasting two or three times a week, and par- 
ticularly when the horse is going a journey. 



CHAPTER XXXVL 

Of Surfeits i Hide-bound^ and Mange. 

This is a disorder that horses are subject 
to in all countries, when they are kept in a 
domesticated state : it arises from different 
causes, and is often brought on by some 
old complaint that has not been properly 
attended to and cured. A horse may be 
known to be Surfeited when his coat stares 
and he looks rusty and dirty, although care 
may have been taken to keep him clean : — 
the skin will be found to be full of scales 
and dander, which lie thick among the hair, 
and come on in succession until they form 
little bunches over the body and limbs as 
large as peas ; at other times there will be a 
moisture, attended with great heat and in- 
flammation, and will cause so violent an 
itching as to make the horse rub himself 
until he becomes raw ; he will have a very 
unwholesome look, and it will cause him to 
be dull, sluggish lazy, and hide bound. 
Some horses appear lean, and have flying 

P 



170 Carver'* s Farrier. 

pains that will cause lameness, similar to 
that occasioned by the rheumatism, with a 
species of the scurvey ; when a horse is af- 
flicted with this disorder he should be bled 
two or three quarts, after which give the fol- 
lowing ball : 

Take of sucotrine aloes one ounce ; gum 
guaiacum, half an ounce : diaphoretic anti- 
mony, two drachms ; myrrh, two drachms, 
and make them into a ball with molasses. 
This ball should be repeated once a week 
or at farthest every ten days, for some time ; 
during the intervals give the alterative pow- 
ders, as reccommended in the chapter on 
alteratives. 

When a horse is discovered to have the 
Mange, his skin is tawney, thick and full of 
wrinkles about the mane, the loins and the 
tail ; and the little hair that remains, stands 
almost straight up. The ears and eyebrows 
are often quite naked : and when the limbs, 
are attacked, it causes them to have the 
same appearance, and they will feel hot and 
inflamed. This distemper is contagious and 
is frequently caught by infection. 

I have known men who have taken care 
of horses with the mange to have caught the 
itch from them. This disorder is often con- 



Carver'' s Farrier, 171 

tracted by poverty, and low feeding. When 
this is the case, the horse must be better 
fed, in order to mend the blood, and the fol- 
lowing ointments rubbed every day into the 
parts affected. 

Take powdered brimstone, train oil, and 
tar, equal quantities, to which may be added 
ginger, or white hellebor : or, take quicksil- 
ver and oil of vitriol, of each one ounce ; hog's 
lard, one pound ; sulphur of brimstone, four 
ounces. At the time the horse is rubbed, 
he should have two or three ounces of sul- 
phur of brimstone given him in a day. 

When a horse in labouring under this dis- 
ease, by taking a microscope and looking at 
him through it, you may discover a number of 
small live insects in the pustules. 

The following piece was published in this 
city (New York) in the public newspapers 
in July 1818. I have thought proper to 
give it a place in thi s work for the benefit of 
the public, as this may probably be the last 
time they may hear from me on the subject 
of that most excellent and noble animal the 
horse ; wishing that my fellow beings called 
man, may perform their duty through life as 
well as the beautiful creature I have just 
mentioned, and long admired, and endea- 



172 Carver^ s Farrier, 

voured to relieve when in distress, and to 
protest against the brutality of the worst of 
all animals, Man, 

It is a well known fact, that many coach- 
men and grooms, who have the charge or 
care of horses committed to them, are con- 
tinually administering pernicious drugs, or 
medicines, or, what is called spiceing horses, 
wh?.ch has a tendency to inflame the blood 
and ultimately destroyjthe constitution of 
the horse. This treatment will cause them, 
for a time, to grow fat, make them high spi- 
rited, and the coat to look fine, but it often 
happens, that the servants who have given 
these medicines quit their places, and 
their successors omit to continue them, the 
consequence is — the horse falls off, loses 
his appetite, and nothing can restore him to 
his former state of health. He will appear 
like a person that has been in the habit of 
drinking ardent spirits. 

When a veterinary surgeon is called on to 
attend a horse in this situation, it baffles all 
his experience to find out the horse's disorder 
and the person who administerd these medi- 
cines takes care to conceal from the farrier 
the cause of the complaint. A large portion 
of these drugs have lately been found con- 



Carvefs Farrier, 173 

cealed in the stable of a gentleman of this 
city. Many of the hackney masters have 
suffered greatly by this practice ; and Mr. 
Yates, Maidenlane, in particular, who gives 
me the liberty of using his name. The late 
Lord Pembroke, who was the admirer and 
lover of the horse, and who studied the con- 
stitution and economy of that noble animal, 
remarked, that ''any gentleman who permit- 
ed his groom to give his horses any thing but 
gruel and mashes, would soon find himself 
on foot." It is transportation, in England, 
for any man to administer spice to a horse 
belonging to another person. 

It has been my intention for some time 
past, to write something on this subject, that 
the owners of horses might not be thus im- 
posed upon. The public and my fellow citi- 
zens at large, may rely with confidence that 
I have stated truths. Facts are stubborn 
things. 

Great care and caution should be observed 
by those who purchase horses from the hands 
of persons called dealers, or horse-jockeys. 

If gentlemen will take the trouble to go 
into their stables at the time their horses are 
feeding, they may discover by smelling their 

2 p 



174 Carve fs Farrier* 

breath or the mangers, whether they are 
spiced or not. 

I have introduced into this work, the ad- 
vice of Dr. Bracken, to the purchasers of 
horses, believing that few men have had a 
better knowledge than him of the make or 
formation of the horse. Here the reader 
will find a description of the age of the horse, 
by his teeth, together with references to the 
plate for further information on the subject. 

It is acknowledged by experienced shoe- 
ing smiths in this city (andtherearebut few) 
that the chapter on shoeing is perfectly cor- 
rect, and the best that can be given on the 
subject, and will stand the test of the strict- 
est scrutiny of any college bred gentleman. 

I perfectly agree with my friend Mr. James 
Carver, veterinary surgeon, from the Farrier's 
college at London, that the smiths called 
horse shoers, are generally ignorant of their 
business, in consequence of which they 
ruin many thousands of fine horses in shoeing 
them. They are so tenacious of their own 
opinions, and so perverse, through ignorance 
that they will not be taught. Since I have 
given up the business of horse shoeing, I 
have frequently, at the solicitation of gentle- 
men, gone to smith's shops and shod their 



Carver^ s Farrier. 175 

horses, in order that they might travel sound. 
In many instances of this kind I have endea- 
voured to instruct smiths in the principles 
of shoeing ; and this I have made as plain 
and as clear as their understandings would 
permit, or reason define ; but the next time 
they attempted to shoe, they could not fol- 
low the plan — they would still cut down the 
heels, frogs, and bars of the feet, against 
which I have so much protested. 

Attempts have been made to establish a 
Veterinary College in the United States, but 
all to no purpose. An institution of this 
kind could not fail to be of the utmost utility 
and importance, in cultivating that valuable 
science, veterinary surgery ; but at this time, 
it appears to me impracticable. Mr. Carver, 
some time since attempted to eftect ithe es- 
tablishment of one in N. York, but failed in 
the accomplishment of his object ; I presume 
his son recollects the circumstances and the 
futility of his efforts. 

I have perused, with considerable interest, 
Mr. James Carver's work on Farriery, and 
am clearly of opinion that his doctrines are 
sound. He reasons like a man of experience 
and sound judgment. I should like to hold 
a correspondence with him. His father and 



176 Carver* s Farrier, 

myself were as intimate as brothers, and I 
regret the loss of his friendship and associa- 
tions. 

In this edition as in the former one, I pre- 
sume it will be found that I have used every 
endeavour to simplify my doctrines, and 
render them plain and comprehensive to the 
most ordinary capacities. If I have commit- 
ed any orthographical or grammatical errors, 
or erred in any shape on the principles of 
the veterinary art, or farriery ; I shall ever 
be ready to retract those errors, and return 
my sincere acknowledgements to those who 
may point them out to me. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

Diseases of the Mouth and Tongue, 

The present contagious disorder, that pre- 
vails among horses in Pennsylvania, and 
different parts of the United States, originates 
from an inflammation of the lungs and throat, 
attended with a violent fever, difficulty of 
breathing and loss of appetite ; the head and 
throat greatly swelled, the jaws stiffened, and 
the tongue swelled, and looking like that of 
a person having the yellow fever or the small > 
pox, the pulse will beat fifty strokes a minute 
instead of forty, as it should do in a state of 
good health. I believe the cause of this 
mortal disease originates from the feed that 
horses eat, and not from the air, as some 
physicians have imagined : there is an herb 
or weed that grows in the fields with the 
grass, called John's- wort, that is possessed 
of a great quantity of mercurial properties ; 
I have seen horses after they had eat it in the 
fields or in their hay, almost salivated with 
it ; their tongues have been greatly swollen. 



178 Carver'^ s Farrier, 

and large quantities of slime, and water has 
continued to run from their mouths for hours 
after they had partook of it. 

As soon as the horse is found to be attack- 
ed with this disorder, no time should be lost 
in attempting to give relief, to effect which, 
four quarts of blood should be taken from 
the jugular vein of the neck, and one quart 
more the next day ; if the blood is found to 
look black as on the first time of bleeding, 
two quarts may be taken : in half an hour after 
the horse has been bled the first time, give 
him half a pint of the best castor oil, and 
half a pint of sweet oil, two ouncees of bal- 
sam of capivi, two ounces of sweet spirits 
of nitre, mixed together in a bottle ; if the 
mixture cannot be put down the throat, it 
must be poured down the nostrils, the horse's 
head being raised up ; and sweet oil should 
be rubbed in all over the head and tliroat — 
to make a gargle for the mouth and throat, 
take half a pint of sweet oil, one pint of the 
best vinegar, quarter of a pound of honey, 
one ounce of alum finely powdered, simmer 
them together over a slow fire, then make a 
kind of a mop, of a sponge put on a stick, 
and apply the mixture to the mouth and 
tongue, letting it go down the throat as much 



Carver'^s Farrier. 179 

as possible ; this should be done every hour. 
In six hours after the foregoing drink has 
been given, give the purgnig ball, as descri- 
bed in chapter IL of this work, with the addi- 
tion of twodrochmSof corrosive sublimate 
powdered and mixed with the ball — if the 
mouth is closed, dissolve the ball in a pint of 
w^arm ale and give it as a drink ; repeated 
clysters should be administered every hour, 
two quarts at a time, composed of sweet or 
linseed oil, molasses and warm water , three 
or four rowels should be introduced, dipped in 
ointment made of Venice turpentine, hog's 
lard, and a small portion of Spanish flies, to 
bring on a quick suppuration or discharge ; 
at the same time, give the horse warm gruel 
every hour. 

The following remedy has proved very 
successful in cases where the attack has not 
been very severe : — give the horse one pint 
of sweet oil and one pint of castor oil mixed 
together, if it cannot be given down the 
throat, owing to its being too much swollen 
it must be poured down the nostrils, rais- 
ing the head for that purpose, and w^arm 
clysters should be given every hour made of 
sweet oil, molasses, soft soap, and warm 
water ; a large handful of squa root should 



180 Carver'' s Farrier, 

be boiled in four quarts of water, until it is 
reduced to three quarts, and then put in the 
manger boiling hot, and the horse compelled 
to hold his head over it; blood should not 
be taken unless the pulse beats iifty strokes 
a minute. A wash for the mouth should be 
immediately made, composed of a pint of 
sweet oil, a pint of strong vinegar, half a 
pound of honey, two ounces of alum, and 
two ounces of powdered nitre, and simmered 
over a slow fire until they incorporate, when 
a swab should be dipped in the mixture and 
applied every hour to the mouth and throat. 
Sv/eet oil is one of the best antidotes against 
all kinds of poison, and poisonous insects; I 
saved the life of a woman a short time past, 
by pouring a gill of sweet oil down her throat 
after she had taken a portion of oil of vitriol, 
mistaking it for sweet spirits of nitre. The 
owner of a fine horse lately gave him a pint 
of spirits of turpentine, for the belly-ache, as 
he supposed, (one half gill is enough for a 
horse, mixed with other ingredients) I pour- 
ed a pint of sweet oil down the horse's throat, 
and he soon got well : if a wasp or hornet is 
touched with a feather dipt in sweet oil, they 
will immediately turn black and die ; there 
is no doubt but it would destroy all kinds of 



Carver^ s Farrier. 181 

poisonous reptils, — I presume it would be 
the bestremedy to apply to a wound occasion- 
ed by the bite of a mad dog. I have shewn 
the effects of this sovereign remedy in a few 
instances, and could enumerate many more 
that have come within my knowledge. 



Q 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

Nicking^ Dockings and Cropping, 

These are surgical operations, and require 
both care and judgment in the performance. 
Nicking is performed, by cutting asunder 
the sinews that are on each side of the bottom 
of the horse's tail, in three or four places, 
leaving a space of about two or three inches 
between each cut : but it should be observed, 
not to make the first cut too nigh the funda- 
ment, as there is most danger after the nick- 
ing has been performed, and the blood stop- 
ped for eight or ten hours. The wounds 
should be dressed with drawing ointment, 
such as basilicon, Sec. in order to bring on a 
discharge or suppuration, of good thick white 
matter ; but all horses should be physicked 
and bled before nicking, to bring their blood 
into a good state. It is not attended with 
much difficulty to nick a horse, but it is 
often attended with trouble to cure him. The 
operator should always have the horse un- 
der his own immediate care, and not suffer 



184 Carver's Farrier, 

any one to meddle with the tail — as many 
horses have died by the operation, although 
they have been committed to the most ex- 
perienced surgeons and farriers. When the 
tail is put to the pulleys, the weights should 
not he too heav}- — and the tail should be let 
down about twice a day, and examined, to 
see if it discharges properly; and, at the 
same time, it should be washed wath cold 
water, or sugar of lead water. The horse 
should be kept on low diet, and exercised 
once a day, and have nitre given him in his 
messes or water. 

Docking, is taking off part of a horse's 
tail; which at times is performed, by laying 
the tail on a block of wood, and striking it 
off with a chissel — or by placing an axe, on 
a block, and laying the tail on the edge of 
the axe, and striking the tail with a maljet 
— but this must both bruise and cut the tail 
at the same time : but the best instrument 
for the purpose is somewhat like a pair of 
shears, with long handles, only the rivet is 
at one end, and the knife falls into a groove. 
When the amputation is performed, the tail 
should be well held up, before the burning 
iron is applied, which at times will cause the 
horse to carry a good, or high tail, so that he 



Carver'' s Farrier, 185 

will not require nicking : it will be best to 
keep the tail washed, a few days after dock- 
ing, with cold water. If it should be found 
difficult to stop the blood, although the tail 
has been seared with the hot iron, with a 
little powdered rosin melted on with the 
burning iron, there may be strong twine 
thread tied round tight, about an inch from 
the end, but this must be taken off in a few 
hours, or it will cause the tail to swell, and 
be inflamed. 

Cropping, is best performed with a pair 
of irons, called cropping irons, as they will 
best cause the ears to represent nature. 
Young practitioners who have cropped horses, 
have been alarmed to observe the outside 
skin of the ear drop away from the gristle, 
and likewise by the flowing of blood ; but 
nature has constituted the blood as a balsam, 
so that nothing should be applied after the 
ears are taken off*, and the skin will return 
to its proper place, without any further 
trouble. 

Notwithstanding I have given the preced- 
ing advice, it has ever been my wish to pre- 
serve the horse from the cruelty and barbari- 
ty of man. The docking and nicking of 
horses is a cruel practice, and ought to be 

0.2 



186 Carve fs Farrier. 

abandoned by the whole race of mankind. 
The scriptures tell us that " a righteous man 
regardeth the life of his beast ; but the ten- 
der mercies of the wicked are cruel."— -Pro- 
verbs xii. V. 10. Every human being, pos- 
sessed of a feeling heart and magnanimous 
mind, must confess that both the docking and 
nicking of horses is cruel ; — but that crea- 
ture called man, attempts thus to mend the 
works of his almighty wise Creator, and in 
the execution of which, he frequently spoils 
and disfigures them. What is more beau- 
tiful to the view, than to behold a fine horse 
with an elegant long tail, and flowing mane 
waving in the sports of the wind, and exhi- 
biting itself in a perfect state of nature ? Be- 
sides, our Creator has given them to the 
horse for defence, as well as beauty. If the 
poor animal was endowed with the power of 
speech, he would say to his cruel oppressors, 
*' why deprive me of the faculties with which 
nature has gifted me ; — I could serve you 
better with thanwithout them ; and by tak- 
ing them from me, you pay but little regard 
to my life and feelings ! O, cruel master! " 
At times there is great danger in both 
these operations ; — many fine horses have 
died in consequence of them, setting aside 



Caf-ver^s Farrier. 187 

the extreme pain the poor animal must en- 
dure. 

In the course of my practice I had one fine 
horse that died by nicking, although every 
care and attention was paid to effect his re- 
covery ; and I have known many others to 
die that had been nicked by able and experi- 
enced farriers. 

Two years ago, a gentleman placed under 
my care a horse that had been docked by 
a blacksmith who had permited the wound 
close up without a suppuration being brought 
on. This consequently produced a violent 
fever ; his muscles became stiffned, and it 
was with the utmost difficulty that he was 
preserved from lock jaw. This was done by 
bleeding, purging, clystering, and foment- 
ing his loins with strong decoctions of 
herbs, together with blisters and alterative 
powders. At length, after much pains and 
trouble, the horse recovered sufficiently to 
be turned out to pasture, and was finally re- 
stored to perfect health. 

About twenty years ago, William Consta- 
ble, esqr. arrived in this country, and 
brought over with him several fine English 
horses. He was much of a gentleman, and 
the poor man's friend ; a lover and judge of 



188 Carver"* s Farrier, 

horses. I attended several of his horses 
under different complaints ; he always ap- 
peared perfectly satisfied, and would insist 
on paying me more than I demanded. He 
once told me that he owned as fine a horse 
as ever was mounted; and in hunting, he 
would carry him over the highest five bar 
gate, with ease ; but he thought the horse 
did not carry so good a tail as he wished ; he 
therefore had him nicked, and when the 
horse got well, he could scarcely carry him 
over two bars. Thus said he, I have spoil- 
ed a fine horse, and no wonder, for it weak- 
ened him in the loins. — So much for nicking 
his horse. 

A clergyman, a few miles from the town 
I was born in, took his horse to a blacksmith 
to have him docked, and held the horse by 
the twitch while the animal was undergoing 
the operation. Just at this time an old mil- 
ler came in, and said, " why sir, has not the 
Almighty made the horse good enough for 
you, that you must alter him." The person 
was struck with astonishment and made 
no reply, and well he might. 

The French and Russians never cut, 
dock, nick, or crop their horses ; for they 
say they will have none but whole horses. 



Carver* s Farrier. 189 

This conduct redounds much to their honour 
and humanity. 

The reader must observe that I have 
made these remarks contrary to my pecunia- 
ry interest ; but I always, from my childhood^ 
lovedand admired a horse, and if I can pre- 
vent only one owner of a horse from perform- 
ing this brutal practice on the aninal, my 
wishes, in some measure, will be gratified. 



APPENDIX. 



ADVICE TO PURCHASERS OF HORSES. 

[BY DR. BRACKEN.] 

Nothing is more true than the common 
observation, that in the art of horsmanship, 
the most difficult part is that of giving proper 
directions for the purchasing a horse free of 
fault and blemish. The deceptions in this 
branch of traffic being looked on in a less 
fraudulent light than they seem to deserve, 
and of consequence are more frequently prac- 
tised. It shall therefore be my business in 
the following brief remarks, to shew, in the 
best manner I am able, the imperfections, 
which, from either nature or mischance, 
every horse is liable to. 

In the Stable,"] See the horse you are about 
to purchase in the stable, without any person 
being in the stall with him ; and if he has 
any complaint in his legs he will soon show 



192 Carver^ s Farrier, 

it, by altering the situation of them, taking 
up one and setting down the other; and this 
denotes his being foundered or overworked. 

On ordering him out, let no one be the 
last in the stable but yourself; you should 
also, if possible, be the first in, lest the 
owner, or some of his quick emissaries, take 
an opportunity to fig him; a practice com- 
mon among dealers, in order to make the 
tail shew as if carried very high, when, in 
reality, the day after, he will in appearance 
be five pounds worse. 

I'he Eyes*'] This is the proper time to 
examine his eyes, which may be done in a 
dark stable with a candle, or rather in the 
day-time when he is led from the stall ; cause 
the man who leads him to stop at the stable 
door just as his head peeps out, and all his 
body is still within. If the white of the eye 
appears reddish at the bottom, or of a colour 
like a withered leaf, I would not advise you 
to purchase him. A moon-eyed horse is 
known by his weeping, and keeping his eyes 
almost shut at the beginning of the distem- 
per : as the moon changes, he gradually reco- 
vers his sight, and in a fortnight or three 
weeks sees as well as before he had the dis- 
order. Dealers, when they have such a 



Carver^ s Farrier. 193 

horse to sell, at the time of his weeping, 
always tell you that he has got a bit of straw 
or hay in his eye, or that he has received 
some blow : they also take care to w^ipe away 
the humour, to prevent its being seen ; but 
a man should trust only himself in buying of 
horses, and above all be very exact in examin- 
ing the eyes : in this he must have regard to 
time and place v/here he makes the axamina- 
tion. Bad eyes may appear good in winter, 
when snow is upon the ground ; and often 
good ones appear bad, according to the posi- 
tion of the horse. Never examine a horse \«) 
eyes by the side of a white wall, where the 
dealers always choose to shew one that is 
moon-eyed. 

The moon-eyed horse has always one eye 
bigger than the other, and above his lids 
you may generally discover wrinkles or 
circles. 

If you observe a fleshy excrescence that 
proceeds from the corner of the eye, and 
covers a part of the pupil, and is in shape 
almost like the beard of an oyster, though 
seemingly a matter of no great consequence, 
yet it is what I call a witlow in the eye, and 
if suffered to grow, it draws away a part of 
the nourishment of the eye, and sometimes 

R 



194 Carver'' s Farrier, 

occasions a total privation of sight. On the 
contrary, if the eyes are round, big, black 
and shining ; if the black of the eye fill the 
pit, or outward circumference, so that in 
moving very little of the white appeareth, 
they are signs of goodness and mettle. The 
eye which in general is esteemed the best, 
is that which is neither small nor large ; but 
be sure to observe that the crystaline Ibe 
thoroughly transparent, for without that, no 
kind of eye can be said to be good. 

Countenance, '\ After having carefully satis- 
fied yourself as to his eyes, let him be 
brought out, and have him stand naked be- 
fore you; then take a strict view of his coun- 
tenance, particularly with regard to the 
cheerfulness of it, this being an excellent 
glass to observe his goodness and best per- 
fections. Be careful you are not deceived 
by the marks in his face, as frequently a 
goodlooking star is made of cat's skin. If 
his ears be small, sharp, short, pricked, and 
moving ; or if they are long, but^et well set 
on, and well carried, it is a mark of good- 
ness ; if they are thick, laved, or lolling, 
^vide set, and unomoving, they are signs of 
dullness and of an evil nature. 
A lean forehead, swelling outward, the mark 



Carver'^s Farrier. 195 

or feather in his face set high, with a white 
star or ratch of an indifferent size and even 
placed, or a white snip on the nose or lip, 
they are all marks of beauty and goodness : 
on the contrary, a fat, cloudy, or frowning 
countenance, the mark in his face standing 
low, as under his eyes, if his star or ratch 
stand away, and instead of a snip his nose 
be raw and unhairy, or his face generally 
bald, they are signs of deformity. 

Strangl€s.'\ Handle his cheeks, or chaps, 
and if you find the bones lean and thin, the 
space wide between them, the thropple or 
windpipe as big as you can gripe, and the 
void place without knots or kernels, and the 
jaws so great that the neck seemeth to couch 
within them, they are all signs of great 
wind, courage, soundness of head and body ; 
on the contrary, if the chaps are fat and 
thick, the space between them closed up 
with gross substance, and the thropple little 
they are signs of short wind and much in- 
ward foulness. Should the void place be 
full of knots and kernels, beware of the 
strangles or glanders, the former of which 
may be easily discovered by a swelling be- 
tween the two nether jaw-bones, which dis- 
charges a white matter. This disorder 



196 Carver^ s Farrier, 

usually appears at about three, four or five 
years old; there is no young horse but 
what is subject to it, either perfectly or im- 
perfectly : there is also a disorder which is 
called the bastard strangles, which appear 
sometimes like, and sometimes different 
from the true strangles. The bastard stran- 
gles are what prove the horse has not thrown 
ofPhis true strangles, but that some foul hu- 
mours arestill left behind ; this disorder may 
come at four, five, six or even seven years 
of age. A continual lans"our at work, and 
seemingly perpetually weary, without any 
visible ailment, is a certain sign that he is 
not clear of this disorder, which sometimes 
will affect the foot, the leg, the ham, the 
haunch, the shoulder, the breast or the eye, 
and without care in this latter case, may 
corrupt the pupil of the eye, as the small 
pox does in men. 

MorJoundering~\ There is also another 
disorder, much like the strangles, which is 
called Morfoundering, and appears by a run- 
ning at the nose ; but the swelling under 
the jaws is less. 

Glanders.'] The glanders are discovered 
by a running at the nose, either on the one 
side or the other : Feel if he has any flat 



Carver^ s Farrier. 197 

glands fastened to the nether jaw, which 
give him pain when you press -them ; and 
remember that a running at one nostril is 
worse than at both. 

Fives »'] When the jaws are strait so that 
the neck swelleth above them, it is a sign 
of short wind ; but if the swelling belong, 
and close by his chaps, like a whetstone, 
then be sure he has the vives, which is a 
distemper most frequent in high mountain- 
ous countries, especially to horses that are 
not used to the crudities produced in the 
stomach by the spring and fountain waters 
that rise in- hilly grounds ; standing waters, 
or those of very little current, are the least 
dangerous, and seldom cause the vives ; but 
very deep wells are bad. 

J^ostrils.'] If his nostrils be open, dry, 
wide, and large, so as upon any straining 
the inward redness is discovered; if his muz- 
zle be small, his mouth deep, and his lips 
equally meeting, they are signs of health and 
wind : but should his nostrils be strait, his 
wind is then little. Should you find the muz- 
zle to be gross, his spirit will be dull. 

If his mouth be shallow, he will never carry 
the bit well ; and if his upper will not reach 

r2 



198 Carver'' s Farrier. 

his under lip, old age and infirmity mark his 
or carrion. 

^ge.2 Respecting the age of a horse that 
is fit for work, he should have forty teeth : 
twenty, four grinders, which teach us noth- 
ing ; and sixteen others, which have their 
names, and discover his age. As mares 
usually have no tusks, their teeth are only 
thirty six. A colt is foaled without teeth ; 
in a few days be puts out four, which are 
called pincers, or nippers ; soon after appear 
the four separators, next to the pincers : it is 
sometimes three or four months before the 
next, called corner teeth, push forth. These 
twelve colt's teeth, in the front of the mouth, 
continue without alteration, till the colt is 
two years, or two years and a half old, which 
makes it difficult, without great care, to avoid 
being imposed on during that interval, if the 
seller finds it is his interest to make the colt 
pass for either younger or older than he really 
is ; the only rule you have then to judge by 
is his coat, and the hairs of his main and tail. 
A colt of one year has a supple, rough coat, 
resembling that of a water spaniel, and the 
hair of his main and tail feels like flax, and 
hangs like a rope untwisted ; whereas a colt 
of two years has a flat coat, and strait hairs, 
like a grown horse. 



Carver'* s Farrier. 199 

At about two years and a half old, some- 
times sooner, sometimes later, according as 
he has been fed, a horse begins to change 
his teeth. The pincers, which come the 
first, are also the first that fall ; so that at 
three years he has four horse's, and eight 
colt's teeth, which are easily known apart 
the former being larger, flatter, and yellower 
than the other, and streaked from the end 
quite into the gums. 

These four horse pincers have, in the mid- 
dle of their extremities, a black hole, very 
deep ; whereas those of the colt are round 
and white. When the horse is coming four 
years old, he loses his four separators, or 
middle teeth, and puts forth four others, 
which follow the same rule as the pincers. 
He has now eight horse's teeth and four 
colt's. At five years old he sheds the four 
comor, which are his last colt's teeth, and 
is called a horse. 

During this year also, his four tusks 
(which are chiefly peculiar to horses) come 
behind the others ; the lower ones often 
four months before the upper ; but whatever 
may be vulgarly thought, a horse that has 
the two lower tusks, if he has not the upper 
may be judged to be under five years old, 
unless the other teeth show the contrary ; 



200 , Carver^s Farrier* 

for some horses that live to be very old, 
never have any upper tusks at all. The two 
lower tusks are one of the most ceriain rules 
that a horse is coming five years old, not- 
withstanding his colt's teeth may not be 
all gone. 

Jockies and breeders, in order to make 
their colts seem five years old when they are 
but four, pull out their last colt's teeth ; but 
if all the colt's teeth are gone, and no tusk 
appear, you may be certain this trick has 
been played ; another artifice they use, is to 
beat the bars every day with a wooden mal- 
let, in the place where the tusks are to ap- 
pear, in order to make them seem hard, as 
if the tusks were just ready to cut. 

When a horse is coming six years old, the 
two lower pincers fill up, and instead of the 
holes above-mentioned, show only a black 
spot. Betwixt six and seven the two middle 
teeth fill up in the same manner ; and be- 
tween seven and eight the corner teeth do 
the like ; after which it is said to be impos- 
sible to know certainly the age of a horse, 
he having no longer any mark in the mouth. 

You can indeed only have recourse to the 
tusks, and the situation of the teeth, of 
which I shall now speak. 



Carver'* s Farrier, 201 

For the tusks you must with your finger 
feel the inside of them from the point quite 
to the gum. If the tusk be pointed flat, 
and has two little channels within side, you 
may be certain the horse is not old, and at 
the utmost only coming ten. Between ele- 
ven and twelve the two channels are redu- 
ced to one, which after twelve is quite gone 
and the tusks are as round within as they 
are without ; yuu have no guide then but 
the situation of the teeth. The longest 
teeth are not always a sign of the greatest 
age, but their hanging over and pushing for- 
ward, as their meeting perpendicularly, is a 
certain token of youth. 

Many persons whilst they see certain little 
holes in the middle of the teeth, imagine 
that such horses are but in their seventh 
year, without regard to the situation the 
teeth take as they grow old. 

When horses are young their teeth meet 
perpendicularly, but grow longer and push 
forward with age ; besides, the mouth of a 
young horse is very fleshy within the palate 
and his lips are firm and hard : on the con- 
trary, the inside of an old horse's mouth, is 
lean both above and below, and seems to 
have only the skin upon the bones. The 



202 Carver'^s Farrier. 

lips are soft and easy to turn up with the 
hand 

All horses are marked in the same man- 
ner, but some naturally, and others artificially 
The natural mark is called Begne ; and some 
ignorant persons imagine such horses are 
marked all their lives, because for many 
years they find a little hole, or a kind of 
void in the middle of the separators and cor- 
ner teeth. But when the tusks are grown 
round, as well within as without and the 
teeth point forward, there is room to con- 
jecture, in proportion as they advance from 
year to year, what the horse's age may be 
without regarding, the cavity above men- 
tioned. 

The artificial manner is made use of by 
dealers and jockies, who mark their horses 
after the age of being known, to make them 
appear only six or seven years old. They 
do it in this manner : They throw down the 
horse to have him more at command, and 
with a steel graver, like what is used for 
ivory, hollow the middle teeth a little, and 
the corner ones somewhat more ; then fill 
the holes with a little rosin, pitch, sulphur, 
or some grains of wheat, which they burn 
in with a bit of hot wire, made in proportion 



Carver^s Farrier. 203 

to the hole. This operation they repeat 
from time to time till they give the whole 
a lasting black, in imitation of nature ; but 
in spite of all they can do, the hot iron 
makes a little yellowish circle round these 
holes, like what it would leave upon ivory ; 
they have therefore another trick to prevent 
detection ; which is, to make the horse foam 
from time to time, after having rubbed his 
mouth, lips and gums with salt, and the 
crumb of bread dried and powdered with 
salt. This foam hides the circle made by 
the iron. 

Another thing they cannot do, is to coun- 
terfeit young tusks, it being out of their 
power to make those two crannies above 
mentioned, which are given by nature. 
With files they may make them sharper or 
flatter ; but when they take away the shin- 
ing natural enamel ; so that one may always 
know by these tusks, horses that are past 
seven, till they come to twelve or thirteen. 
As the defects of the mouth may destroy 
a horse without any distemper, I shall here 
just describe the barbs, the lampas, gigs 
upon the lips, and gag-teeth. 

Barbs ] For the barbs look under his tongue 
and see if he has not two fleshy excrescences 



204 Carver^s Farrier, 

on the under palate, like little bladders. It 
seems to be a mere trifle ; but these however 
will hinder a horse from drinking as usual ; 
and if he does not drink freely, he eats the 
less, and languishes from day to day, per- 
haps without anyone's taking notice of it. 

Lampas,'\ The lampas is known by open- 
ing the horse's mouth and looking at his 
upper palate, to see if the flesh comes down 
below the inner teeth. This gives him pain 
in eating his oats, and even his hay, when 
it is too harsh, though he can very well man- 
age bran, grass or kind hay. 

Gigs upon the lips,~\ When you have looked 
into the horses mouth, without finding either 
of the two disorders above, turn up his lips 
both upper and under, and perhaps you may 
find several small elevations, like little white 
blisters, which make the inside of the lip 
uneven. This defect may be felt with the 
finger, and is what hinders horses from eat- 
ing as usual ; and this is what is called gigs 
upon the lips. 

Gag teeth~] Gag teeth are a defect that 
rarely happens to young horses ; and are to 
be discovered by putting the colt's foot into 
the mouth, and looking at the large grinders 
which, in this case, appear unequal, and in 



Carver^s Farrier, 205 

eating catch hold of the inside of the cheeks 
causing great pain, and making them refuse 
their food. 

His breast.'] From his head look down to 
his breast, and see that it be broad, out swell- 
ing and adorned with many fea tures ; for 
this shows strength. The little or small 
breast shows weakness ; as a horse with a 
narrow one is apt to stumble. 

The Articor or Anticoxv.'] Put your hand be- 
tween his fore legs, and feel if he has a swell- 
ing there from the sheath quite up between 
the fore legs : such a swelling is called the 
Anticor, or Anticow, and is mortal to horses 
if they are not soon relieved. It proceeds 
from different causes viz. the remains of an 
old distemper which was never perfectly 
cured, or after which the horse was too soon 
put to labo^ir, from too much heat, con- 
tracted in the stable, by being kept up ^ 
longtime without airing, or from having lost 
"loo large a quantity of blood in what part 
soever the vein was opened. When you 
touch a swelling of this kind, the impres- 
sions of the fingers remain for some time 
as if you had made them in a bit of puff 
paste, filling up again by degrees, as the 
paste would rise. This swelling contains 

S 



206 Ca?'ver''s Farrier, 

bloody water, that insinuates between the 
flesh and the skin, and proves that all the 
blood in the veins is corrupted. 

His Thighs ana Legs.l From thence look 
down his elbow to his knee, and see that 
the fore thighs be rush grown, well horned 
within, sinewed, fleshy, and out-swelling ; 
those being signs of strength, as the contra- 
ry of weakness. If his knees bear a propor- 
tion to each other, be lean, sinewy, and close 
knit they are good ; but if one is bigger or 
rounder than the other, the horse has receiv- 
ed mischief ; if they are gross, he is gouty ; 
and if he has scars, or the hair be broken, 
beware of a stumbling jade, and perpetual 
faller. 

Splents,'] From his knees look down his 
legs to his pasterns, and if you find them 
clean, lean, flat, sinewy, and the inward 
bought of his knee without seams, or hair 
broken,' it shews a good shape and soundness ; 
but if on the inside of the leg you find hard 
knots, they are splents, of which there are 
three sorts. The simple splent, which ap- 
pears within the leg under the knee, remote 
from the great nerve and the joint of the 
knee, ought not to hinder a man from buying 
a good horse, for it gives him no pain, is 



Carver's Farrier. 207 

only disagreeable to the sight, and goes away 
in time of itself. All the three sorts of splents 
are known by the same rule ; for whenever 
you see a tumour upon the flat of the leg, 
whether within or without, if it be inider the 
knee, and appears hard to the touch, it is a 
splent ; and when it is situated as above des- 
cribed, it signifies nothing ; but w^hen it 
comes upon the joint of the knee, without 
any interval, it loses the name of splent, and 
may be called a fusee : it then, as one may 
easily concieve, makes the leg of a horse stiff, 
and hinders him from bending his knee; 
consequently it obliges him to stumble, and 
even fall, and after a violent exercise makes 
him lame. Rest alone cures the lameness, 
but not the fusee. 

The third kind of splent, whether within 
or without, is when you feel it between the 
nerve and the bone, and sometimes even at 
the end of the nerve ; this is called a nervous 
splent, and is the worst of all the kinds ; be- 
sides that, the horse is never here so firm 
footed, but that he limps at every little de- 
gree of labour. The French reject every 
horse that has a splent, very often without 
knowing how to distinguish them ; and one 
that has only a simple splent, is as bad in 



208 Carver'^s Farrier, ' 

their eyes as one that has the other sort ; but 
a simple splent always goes away of itself by 
the time a horse is eight or nine years old. 

Oss€letsr\ There are also three kinds of 
osselets, which are of the same nature as 
splents, and some persons take them for the 
same thing ; but there is this difference, how- 
ever between them, that splents come near 
the knees, and osselets near the fetlocks. 
Their seat is indifferently within or without 
the leg. 

The first is the simple osselet, which does 
not grow near the joint of the fetlock or the 
nerve. 

This need not hinder a man from buying 
a horse, because it puts him to no inconve- 
nience and very often goes away of itself 
without a remedy. The second is that which 
descends into the fetlock, and hinders the 
motion of that joint : this occasions a horse 
to stumble and fall, and with a very little 
w^ork to become lame. The third has its 
seat between the bone and the nerve; and 
sometimes upon the nerve ; it so much in- 
commodes a horse, that he cannot stand firm, 
but limps on every little occasion. 

fFindgalls.'] There are also three kinds of 
windgalls, which appear ^o the eye much like 



Carver^ s Farrier. 209 

osselets, but are not however, just in the 
same places ; nor do they feel like them ; for 
osselets are hard; but windgalls give way to 
the touch. Some horses are more liable to 
these than others, and that for several reasons. 
Some proceed from old worn-out sires, and 
others by being worked too young. A simple 
windgall is a little tumour, between the skin 
and the flesh, round the fetlocks. When it 
appears at a good distance from the large 
nerve, it does not lame the horse ; and if he 
has but age on his side, that is, be under ten 
years old at most, he will be nearly as useful 
as before, provided the work you put him to 
be not of the most laborious kind ; however, 
a horse is much better without than with 
even this sort of simple windgall, which con- 
sists of thin skins, full of red liquid, and soft 
to the touch. The nervous windgall answers 
the same description, only, as the simple one 
comes upon the fetlock, or a little above it, 
upon the leg bone, in the very place of osse- 
lets ; nervous ones come behind the fetlock, 
upon the great nerve which makes them of 
worse consequence, for they never fail to 
lame a horse after much fatigue. These 
windgalls may happen upon any of the legs ; 
but some of them are more dangerous than 

s2 



210 Carver^ $ Farrier, 

others, in porportion as they press the nerve, 
and are capable of laming the horse ; and 
take notice, by the way, that windgalls are 
more troublesome in summer than in winter, 
especially in very hot weather, when the 
pores are all open. The third is the bloated 
windgall, and is of the worst sort, Avhen they 
come over the hind part of the fetlock, be- 
tween the bone and the large nerve, and 
make the horse so lame at every little thing 
he does, that he can scarce set his foot on 
the ground. They appear on both sides of 
the leg, without as well as within ; and when 
you touch them with your hand, or finger, 
they feel like a pig's or cow's bladder full of 
wind. If under his knees there are scabs on 
the inside, it is the speedy or swift cut, and 
in that case he will but ill endure gallopping ; 
if above the pasterns on the inside you find 
scabs, it shows interfering ; but if the scabs 
be generally over his legs, it is either occa- 
sioned by foul keeping, or a spice of the 
mange. 

Pastern,'] Take care that the pastern joint 
be clear and well knit together, and that 
the pastern be strong, short, and upright; 
for if the first be big, or swelled, beware or 
sinew strains ; if the other be long, weak of 



Carver'* s Farrier, 211 

bending, the limbs will be hardly able to 
carry the body without tiring 

HoofsJ] The hoofs should be black, smooth 
and tough, rather long than round ; deep, 
hollow, and full sounding ; for white hoofs 
are tender, and carry a shoe ill ; and a brittle 
hoof will carry no shoe at all : A flat hoof, 
that is pumiced, shows foundering ; and a 
hoof empty and hollow sounding, shows a 
decayed inward part, by reason of some 
wound or dry founder. If the hair lie smooth 
and close about the crown of the hoof, and 
the flesh flat and even, then all is perfect ; 
but should the hair be there rough, the skin 
scabbed, and the flesh rising, you may then 
be apprehensive of a ring bone, a crown 
scab, or a quitter bone. 

Circled Fe€t,~\ Circled feet are very easy 
to be known : they are when you see little 
excressences round the hoof, which inclose 
the foot, and appear like so many small cir- 
cles. Dealers who have such horses, never 
fail to rasp round the hoofs, in order to make 
them smooth ; and to conceal the rasping 
when they are to show them for sale, they 
black the hoofs all over ; for without that 
one may easily perceive what has been done ; 
and seeing the mark of the rasp is a proof 



212 Carver'' s Farrier, 

that the horse is subject to this accident. 
As to the cause, it proceeds from the re- 
mains of an old distemper, or from having 
been foundered, and the disease been cured 
without care being taken of the feet, where- 
upon the circulation of the blood not being 
regularly made, especially round the crown 
between the hair and the horn, the part lo- 
ses its nourishment, and contracts or enlar- 
ges itself in proportion as the horse is worked. 
If these circles were only on the surface, the 
jockies' method of rasping them down would 
then be good for nothing ; but they form 
themselves also within the feet, as well as 
without, and consequently press on the sen- 
sible part, and make a horse limp with ever 
so little labour. One may justly compare a 
horse in this situation, to a man that has 
corns on his feet, and yet is obliged to walk 
a long way on shoes that are too tight and 
stubborn. A horse therefore is worth a 
great deal less on this account. 

Bow-legged.'] After having well examined 
the feet, stand about three paces from his 
shoulders and look carefully that he is not 
bowlegged, which proceeds from two differ- 
ent causes ; first from nature, when a horse 
has been got by a worn-out stallion ; and 



Carvers Farrier, 213 

secondly, from his having been worked too 
young ; neither in the one case nor the other 
is the horse of much value, because he can 
never be surefooted ; it is also a disagreea- 
ble sight, if his knees point forwards, and 
his legs turn in under him, so that the 
knees come much further out than the feet. 
This is what is called a bow-legged horse 
and such a one ought to be rejected for any 
service whatsoever, as he never can stand 
firm on his legs ; and how handsome soever 
he may otherwise be, he should on no ac- 
count be used for a stallion, because all his 
progeny will have the same deformity. 

Head,'] Then stand by his side and take 
particular notice that his head be well set on 
for if thick set, be assured it will cause him 
to toss up his nose for want of wind, which 
causes a horse to carry his head disagreeably 
high, and occasions a ticklish mouth. 

JVeck,'] His neck should be small at the 
setting on of his head, growing deeper to 
the shoulders, with a high, strong and thin 
mane ; long, soft, and somewhat curling ; 
those being beautiful characters ; on the con- 
trary, a head ill set on is a great deformity. 

Pole-evil,'] To have a large bigness or 
swelling in the nape of the neck, shows the 



214 Carver'* s Farrier. 

pole-evil. To have a short thick neck like a 
bull, to have it falling in the withers to 
have a low, weak, thick, or falling crest, 
shows want of strenp-th and mettle. 

The Mane.'\ Much hair on the mane shows 
dulness, as too thin shows fury ; and to have 
none, or shed, shows the worm in it, the 
itch, or manginess. 

The Shoulders,'] In showing a horse, a 
dealer or jockey will generally place him 
with his four feet on a higher ground than 
his hind ones, in order that the shoulder 
may appear further in his back, and make 
him higher in sight than he really is ; but 
be sure to cause him to be led on level ground 
and see that his shoulders lie well into his 
back ; for an upwright shouldered horse car- 
ries his weight too forward, which is disa- 
greeable and unsafe to the rider. Have his 
fore legs stand even, and you will then have 
it in your power to judge of his shoulders. 
If you do not observe this, the dealer will 
contrive that his near leg stand before the 
other, as the shoulders in that position ap- 
pear to lie further in the back. If his knees 
stand nearly close, and his toes quite in a 
line, not turning in, nor turnig out, be assu- 
red he will not cut ; if he takes his legs up 



Carver'' s Farrier^ 215 

a moderate heigth, and neither clambers nor 
yet goes too near the ground he will most 
likely answer your purpose. 

Back^ Body, £9V.] Observe that the chine 
of his back be broad, even and straight, his 
ribs well compassed, and bending outward, 
his fillets upright, strong, short, and above 
an handful between his last rib and his buc- 
kle bone ; his belly should be well let down 
yet hidden within his ribs, and his testicles 
close thrust up to his body, those being 
marks of health and goodness. Be careful 
in observing that he has no swelling \v: his 
testicles, a disorder that usually proceeds 
either from some strain in workins: or from 
the horse's having continued too long in the 
stable, or from his putting one leg, over any 
bar, and being checked by the halter, or, in a 
word, from any other accident that confines a 
horse, makes him kick or fiing, and bruise 
his cods and there is no other wav of know- 
ing this distemper, but by some outward 
swelling upon the part. 

The comingdownof the testicles proceeds 
from the same causes, with this difference 
only, that it is a long time discovering itself; 
whereas the other may come in one night. 
If his chine be narrow, he will never carry 



216 Carver'' s Farrier, 

a saddle well ; and to have it bending or 
saddle backed, shows weakness. If his ribs 
be flat, there is but small liberty for wind. 
Should his fillets hang low, or weak, he will 
never climb a hill, or carry a burden well. 
A belly that is clung up, or gaunt, and tes- 
ticles hanging down loose, are signs of sick- 
ness, tenderness, foundering in the body : 
and unaptness for labour. His buttocks 
should be round, plump, full, and in an even 
level with his body. The narrow, pin but- 
tock, the hog or swine rump, and the falling 
and down let buttock, show an injury in 
nature. The horse that is deep in his girth- 
ing place, is generally of great strength. 
His hinder thighs, or gastains, should be 
well let down, even to the middle joint, thick, 
brawny, full and swelling, this being a great 
sign of strength and goodness ; lank and slen- 
der thighs show disability and weakness. 
From the thigh bone to the hock it should 
be pretty long, but short from the hock to 
the pastern. Observe the middle joint be- 
hind, and if it be nothing but skin and bone, 
veins and sinews, rather a little bending than 
too straight, it is perfect as it should be ; on 
the contrary, should it have chaps or sores on 
the inward bought, or bending, it is a sal- 
lender. 



Carver'* s Farrier. 217 

Spavins.'] Should the joint be generally 
swelled all over, he must have had a blow 
or bruise ; if in any particular part, as in the 
pot, or hollow part, or on the inside, the 
vein full and proud, and the swelling soft, 
it is a blood spavin. You cannot therefore 
take too much care in examining the houghs 
of delicate horses, for let the swelling appear 
ever so small upon the flat of the lower part 
of the hough, within side, though the horse 
may not limp, you ought to be apprehensive 
that in time and with but little labour, the 
spavin will increase on him. 

The fat spavin comes almost in the same 
place as the other, but is larger. 

A third kind is the ox spavin ; and this is 
thought the worst of the three. If the swell- 
ing be hard> it is a bone spavin ; you should 
examine a horse thoroughly, therefore, be- 
fore you buy him ; and, in particular, see if 
all the joints of his legs move with equal 
freedom. Most horses that have the bone 
spavin, are very apt to start when you go to 
take up their legs, and will hardly let you 
touch them with your hand. Examine them 
well, therefore with your eye, and see if, be- 
tween the fetlock and the crown, the leg 
descends even and smooth ; for if you see 

T 



218 Carver^ s Farrier, 

any proturberance between the flesh and the 
skin, that looks like a sort of knot, or ker- 
nel, you have found the defect. 

^ Curb.'] If you observe the swelling to be 
exactly before the knuckle, it is a curb ; 
which is an accident that may happen in 
different manners ; such as a strain in work- 
ing, slipping his foot in a hole, or in marshy 
ground &c. out of which he pulls it with 
pain, and by that means wrenches his hoof, 
without dislocating any thing, and yet, 
without speedy care, he may be lamed. 

^ Hat^s TaiL~\ There is also a defect 
which is more common in the hind than the 
fore legs, though the latter are not quite ex- 
empt from it, and it is called the rat's tail, 
and is thus known : when you see, from the 
hind part of the fetlock, up along the nerves, 
a kind of line or channel that separates the 
hair to both sides, this is a rat's tail. In 
summer, there appears a kind of small dry 
scab along this channel ; and in winter, there 
issues out a humidity, like the water from 
the legs. A horse may work notwithstand- 
ing this disorder, for it seldom lames him ; 
it sometimes occasions a stifthess in the legs 
and makes horses trot like foxes, without 
bending their joints. The hind legs should 



Carver'^ s Farrier, 219 

be lean, clean, flat, and sinewy ; for if fat 
they will not b^r labour- ; ^if swelled, the 
grease is molten into them ; if scabbed above 
the pasterns, it is the scratches ; and if he 
hath chops under his pasterns, he hath what 
is generally called the Rains. -If he has a 
good buttock, his tail cannot stand ill, but 
will be broad, high, flat, and couched a little 
inward 

A Walk and Trot ?72 Z^^/7f/.] Having with 
care examined the horse, let him be run in 
hand a gentle trot ; by this you will soon 
perceive, if he is lame or not. Make the 
man lead him by the end of the bridle ; as in 
this case you cannot be deceived by the man's 
being too near him. The far fore leg, and 
near hind leg, or the near fore leg and far 
hind leg, should move and go forward at one 
and the same time ; and in this motion, the 
nearer the horse takes his limbs from the 
ground, the opener, the evener, and the 
shorter is his pace. 

Forging.~\ If he takes up his feet sloven- 
ly, it shows stumbling or lameness ; to tread 
narrow, or cross, shows interfering, or fail- 
ing : to step uneven, shows weariness ; and 
if he treads long, you may be apprehensive 
he forges : by which I mean, that when he 
walks, or trots, he strikes the toes of his 



220 Carver^ s Farrier. 

hind feet against the corners of his shoes 
before, which occasions a* clattering noise 
as you ride : and this proceeds generally from 
the weakness of his four legs, he not having 
strength in them to raise them up sufficient- 
ly quick to \nake way for the hind ones. A 
horse of this kind is not near so serviceable 
as one exempt from it ; and the dealers, to 
get rid of him, will make abundance of pre- 
tences. If he has been just shod, they will 
say, the farrier has put on him too long 
shoes. If his shoes are old, they will tell 
you he has just come off a long journey, and 
is much fatigued. You must not therefore 
be over credulous to any thing a jockey or 
dealer affirms ; for what they say in this man- 
ner, is too often with an intent to deceive ; 
and it is very certain, that a horse who forg- 
es can never be surefooted, any more than 
one who has tottering and bow legs. 

Walk and Trot mount ed.~\ On his being 
mounted, see him walk. Observe his mouth, 
that he pulls fair, not too high, nor bearing 
down : then stand behind him, and see if he 
goes narrower before than behind : as every 
horse that goes well on his legs goes in that 
manner. Take notice that he brushes not 
by going too close ; a certain sign of his cut- 



Carver^s Farrier, 221 

ting, and tiring in travelling. Have nothing 
to do with that horse who throws his legs 
confusedly about, and crosses them before : 
this you may observe by standing exactly be- 
fore or behind him, as he is going along. In 
his trot, he should point his fore-legs well, 
without clambering, nor yet as if he were 
afraid ; and that he throws well in his hind 
legs, which will enable him to support his 
trot, and shoot his fore parts forwards. 

Jl Canter or Gallop,'] In his canter, ob- 
serve he does not fret, but goes cool in his 
pace ; and in his gallop, that he take his feet 
nimbly from the ground, and do not raise 
them too high ; but that he stretcheth out 
his fore legs, and follows nimbly with his 
hind ones ; and that he cutteth not under his 
knee, (which is called the swift or speedy 
cut) that he crosses not, nor lays one foot on 
another ; and ever leadeth with his far fore 
foot, and not with the near one. If he gallops 
round, and raises his fore feet, he may be 
said to gallop strongly, but not swiftly ; and 
if he labours his feet confusedly, and seems 
to gallop painfully, it shows some hidden 
lameness ; for in all his paces, you should 
particularly observe that his limbs are free, 
without the least stiffness. 

2 T 



222 Carver^s Farrier. 

Tottering legs,'\ Now that he has been well 
exercised in those different paces, it is your 
time to examine for an infirmity not easily 
discovered, and that is what I call Tottering^ 
Legs : You cannot percieve it till after a horse 
has galloped for some time ; and then, by let- 
ling him rest a little, you will see his legs 
tremble under him, which is the disorder I 
mean : how handsome soever the legs of such 
a horse may be, he never can stand well on 
them ; you are therefore not to mind what 
the jockey says, when he talks of the beauty 
of the limbs ; for if you oblige him to gallop 
the horse, or fatigue him pretty much, (which 
is commonly done in order to try the crea- 
ture's bottom) you will, in all likelihood, dis- 
cover this defect, unless you suffer the groom 
to gallop him to the stable door, and put him 
up in a moment ; which he will certainly en- 
deavour to do, if he is conscious of it, while 
the master has another horse ready to show 
yt3u, in order to take off your attention from 
what he is afraid you should see. 

Thus having, to the best of my judgment, 
gone through every requisite observation 
relative to the purchase of a horse, studiously 
avoiding its being drawn into an unnecessary 
length, yet at the same time being as careful 



Carver'* s Farrier, 223 

to avoid an aiFected brevity, the gentlemen, 
to whom many of my observations are famil- 
iar, will please to observe, that I have endea- 
voured, as much as possible, to write for the 
information of a person entirely unacquaint- 
ed with the qualifications which form a com- 
plete horse ; in the purchase of which, the 
person should particularly consider the end 
for which he buys ; whether for running, 
hunting, travelling, draught or burden : and 
it is therefore almost unnecessar}^ to remind 
him, that the biggest and strongest are fittest 
for strong occasions, burdens, draught, or 
double-carriage ; as the middle size is for 
hunting, pleasure, general employments, and 
the least for summer hackneys. The last 
thing I shall take the freedom to observe to 
my reader, is, that a very small portion of 
this treatise has been taken form a late publi- 
cation, deficient in many respects, though, 
at the same time, containing some trite ob- 
servations ; and that the bulk of it has been 
compiled from my own experience, assisted 
by various authors on the subject, oLw^ich 
Monsieur Saunier is the principal. All I 
have therefore to observe is, that it was com- 
piled at the request of the publishers, as a 
suitable companion to a book of the same 



224 Carver^s Farrier, 

size, entitled, The Gentleman's Pocket Far- 
rieny ; showing how to use a horse on a 
journey ; and what remedies are proper for 
common accidents that may befal him on the 
road : which having been universally ap- 
proved, and met with a very extensive sale, 
they are hopeful, that a well drawn up assis- 
tant towards the purchase of a horse, des- 
cribing the disorders, &c. to which he is lia- 
ble, might stand fair to be received with 
marks of the same public approbation. 



THE STALLION. 

[Fi-om the Fairiei's Dictionary, by Dr. Hunter.] 

Stallions should be chosen as free as pos- 
sible from all kinds of natural imperfections. 
They should in particular be totally free 
from moon, watery, and blood- shotten eyes, 
splents, spavins, curbs, &c. for all these im- 
perfections are liable to be entailed on their 
stock, which must of course render them infi- 
nitely ^ss valuable than such as are free from 
every thing of the kind. Perhaps it is ut- 
terly impossible to find a stallion that is total- 
ly free from imperfection, but they should 
at least have none of the gross ones above- 



Calmer'' s Farrier, 225 

mentioned ; in addition to which they should 
be bony, of a good colour, a fine shape, and 
above all, high spirited and full of mettle. 

At four years of age, a stallion is fit for 
covering, and most of them will continue 
able to get colts till they are twenty or up- 
wards, though it is suspected that the stock 
of old horses is far inferior to that got by 
them in their prime and vigour. 

Stallions should be so high fed as to be 
full of lust and vigour, and twelve, fourteen 
or at most, twenty mares, are as many as a 
good horse should be permitted to cover in 
one season. It may not be amiss to observe, 
that when mares are covered in hand, or at 
large, they should have the same kind of 
feeding as the stallion, that is to say, if the 
horse is at hard meat, the mare should be so 
likewise, or she will be apt not to hold to 
him so well. In like manner, if the stallion 
is at grass, the mares should be at grass 
likewise. 

When the stallion has done his duty, let 
him be removed from the mares : they like- 
wise should be put into fresh pasture. 
Those mares that are in midling case gener- 
ally conceive the most easily, whereas those 
that are fat and gross hold with more diffi- 



226 Carver^ s Farrier,' 

culty ; such, however, of both descriptions 
as are hot, and in season, retain a great deal 
better, their heat exciting the stallion to per- 
form his part of the action with greater 
vigour and ardour. 

When you have a mare covered in hand 
that she may the more certainly stand to the 
horse, let the mare and stallion stand in the 
same stable for some time, that they may 
see each other, which will make them both 
more keen, and consequently more apt to 
generate. 

It is the opinion of many, that a stallion 
should be well fed for at least three months 
before he is to cover. He should also be led 
out to water twice a day at least, and gently 
exercised each time for an hour or therea- 
bouts, but not so as to make him sweat. For 
if he be not thus brought into condition and 
wind before he covers, he will be in dansrer 
of becoming pursive, or broken- winded, and 
if he is not well fed at the same time, he 
will be unable to perform his task in a proper 
manner, at best his stock would be poor, 
pitiful, weak things, and no credit to their 
sire : and besides, if he was not in a proper 
condition at the commencement of the sea- 
son, he would be so reduced before it is 



Carver^ s Farrier. . 227 

concluded, that though you take all imagina- 
ble care and pains of him after, he w ill con- 
tinue very weak for a long Jtime. 

If he is put to too many mares, it will soon 
wear him down, and his mane and tail will 
fret and fall off through mere poverty, and it 
will be found a difficult matter, notwithstand- 
ing the length of time that intervenes, to 
bring him into condition against the season 
following. 



BREEDING MARES. 

In speakina* of mares, we shall only consid- 
er them as kept for breeding ; for which pur- 
pose they should be chosen as free from de- 
fects as possible, and should (no more than 
stallions) have either moon, watery, or 
blood-shotten eyes, nor any splent, spavin, 
curb, or other natural imperfection, as the 
colts would be apt to have the same. But 
choice should be made of the best and ablest, 
the highest spirited, and finest shapes that 
can be, for such only can be expected to 
breed valuable colts. As for example, if you 
would breed for the manage or pad, let your 
mares have fine forehands, their heads well 



228 Carver'' s Farrier. 

set on, large sparkling eyes, broad roomy 
breasts, and legs not too long. They should 
be of a gentle dis|)osition, and all their mo- 
tions both nimble and graceful. But if you 
would breed for hunting or racing, the mares 
must be lighter, with short backs, and long 
sides; their legs must likewise be longer, 
and their breasts not so broad ; but above all 
things, be sure to make choice of such mares 
for this purpose, as have got good blood in 
their veins. If you have tried the speed 
and wind of any mare that you wish to breed 
from, and find her to your mind, you need 
not fear of having a good colt, providing she 
is in health and vigour, and you put her to a 
good horse. 

A mare may be put to the horse when she 
is past two years old, but the best age for a 
breeding mare is from four to seven, for al- 
though she may breed to fourteen or fifteen, 
she cannot nourish the colt so well, and be- 
sides it has long been remarked, that an old 
mare's colt is more dull aud heavy at labour, 
than that of a young one. Some people will 
tell you, that the best time for a mare to be 
covered, is from the end of the first quarter 
to the full of the moon, and that colts got at 
that time will be much stronger and hardier, 



Carver s Farrier* 229 

than such as are got during the other periods 
of the moon's age ; this, however, is but little 
regarded among bi'eeders, nor do I believe 
that those who are the greatest advocates for 
such a notion, can advance one sound argu- 
ment in support of it. It will not, however, 
be amiss to take the mare into the stable, and 
have her well fed with good hay and oats for 
a few weeks before she is covered, that she 
may have strength and vigour to perform the 
office of generation. It is not uncommon to 
take about a quart of blood from each side 
of the mare's neck a few days before she is 
put to the horse, in order that she may the 
more certainly concieve, or stand to him. As 
for the manner of covering it is pretty well 
known that the mare should be brought out 
into some roomy place, and be either tied to a 
post, or held in the hand, w^hile some stone 
horse of little value is brought out to try her, 
and provoke her lustful appetite ; after which 
the stallion should be led to her, and suffer- 
ed to leap her, and when he is dismounted, 
let a pail of cold water be thrown over her 
hinder parts, which will make her shrink 
and truss up her body, and consequently 
must occasion her to retain the seed more cer- 
tainly than otherwise she might do. Let her 

U 



230 Carver'^s Farrier. 

then be taken away out of the hearing of the 
horse, and let her neither eat nor drink for 
four or five hours ; but at the end of that time 
give her a mash, and afterwards feed her as 
usual. You will soon be able to tell whether 
she stands to her covering, by her keeping a 
good appetite, and not neighing at the sight of 
a horse. While, on the contrary, you may 
conclude, that she does not stand, if she 
neighs at every horse that comes in her sight, 
or stales often, and frequently opens and 
shuts her shape. 

The same method of feeding the mare with 
good hay and oats should be followed for a 
few weeks after covering, during which time 
she should be kept in the stable, with little 
or no exercise, and be well cleaned ; after 
which she may be turned out for the summer, 
and taken up again towards the latter end of 
September, after which she should continue 
to be housed till after she has foaled. 

If there should happen any difficulty in 
foaling, authors recommend holding the nos- 
trils so close, that the mare cannot take wind ; 
and if that has not the wished for effisct, they 
recommend a decoction of madder roots or 
fennel in water, with the addition of a little 
\vine, or ale, to be given luke-warm. Some 



Carver'' s Farrier, 231 

mares are apt to eat the secondines after foal- 
ing, but they should be prevented if possible, 
as it is unnatural food, and will injure their 
health. When the foal has been licked, 
and before he is permitted to suck, let some 
one milk the mare, which will both cause 
her milk to come down more easily, and in 
greater abundance, and likewise prevent her 
udder from becoming wedged, which often 
occasions them to go dry, or at least to ap- 
pear so ; though while this is a recent thing, 
the cure is frequently very easily effected by 
the following simple application. 

Let as much milk as can be obtained from 
her, be boiled with some lavender flowers in 
it, and the udder thoroughly bathed with the 
warm decoction three or four times a day. 
But if no milk can be obtained, cow's milk, 
or even water, may be substituted in its stead, 
as the effect is produced entirely by the heat 
of the liquor, and the penetrating qualities 
of the lavender flowers, which together 
mollify and soften the tumour ; and then the 
colt, by sucking more and more as it gets 
strength, will prevent any accident of that 
kind from happening in future. 

The water that is given to mares for the 
first month, or thereabouts, after foaling. 



232 Carver^s Farrier. 

should have some bran put into it, and be 
stirred together till the mixture becomes 
white. This is what horse-dealers call the 
white mash. At the end of the month she 
may have a little brimstone and savin given 
her in a moderate strong decoction. And 
after that, she may be put occasionally to any 
moderate exercise, which will be of service 
to both her and the colt ; only care should 
be taken not to let the latter suck while the 
mare ishot, as he might be aurfeited thereby, 
and his growth greatly hindered. 

A great many reciepts are give by differ- 
ent authors for preventing mares from going 
barren, slipping their foals, &c. but they ap- 
pear too trifling and insignificant to be intro- 
duced in the present work. 

Mares are said to go eleven months, and 
as many days with foal, as they are years old, 
but I imagine that they are no more exact in 
bringingforth their young to a few days, than 
other animals. 



PARTS OF A HORSE'S BODY. 

1. The hair and hide, which includes all 
the hair and skin on the horse's body. 



Carver'* s Farrier. 233 

2. The mane, or that long hair on the 
horse's neck. 

3. The fore- top, or topping, which hangs 
down the face. 

4. The fetter-lock, or fetlock, the hair that 
grows behind the feet. 

5. The coronet or cronet, the hair that 
surrounds the top of the hoof. 

6. The brills,, which is the hair on the 
eyelids. 

The external parts of the head and neck 
are as follow : 

1. The crest or crist, that ridge on the 
neck on which the mane grows. 

2. The neck itself, by which is meant the 
whole of that part of a horse which is be- 
twixt his head and breast, or shoulders. 

3. The breast, brisket, or chest, is the fore 
part of the neck, from the shoulders down* 
to the fore legs. 

4. The star, or blaze, is in the forehead. 

5. The rache, down the face, when the 
hair there is of a different colour to that on 
the other parts of the head. 

The parts of the body are : 
1. The withers, the top of the shoulder 
blades, at the setting on of the neck. 

u2 



234 Carver^s Farrier, 

2. The dock, or place where the saddle 
is put. 

3. The navel-gall, or that part of the back 
opposite to the navel. 

4. The reins, are all the middle part or 
ridge of the back, from the mane to the tail. 

5. The dock or strunt, which is the tail of 
the horse. 

6. The fundament or tuel. 

7. The swayed back, is the hollow or sink- 
ing down of the back bone. 

8. The thropple or windpipe 

9. The girth place, or the fore part of the 
belly. 

10. The belly or navel place, the middle 
of the belly, or that part where the navel is. 

11. The flank, or the hinder part of the 
belly next the sheath. 

12. The groins, or hinder parts near the 
thighs, on each side. 

13. The sheath in which the yard is in- 
closed. 

14. The yard itself. 

15. The nut, or glans, at the extremity of 
the yard. 

16. The cods, or the loose skins which 
contain the stones. 

17. The fillets, or fore parts of the shoul- 
der next the breast. 



Carver'' s Farrier. 235 

18. The two sides, near and ofF, or farther 
and rising sides. 

19. The buttocks, or hindermost parts of 
the horse's body. 

20. The top of the buttock, or that part 
next the ridge of the back and the tail. 

The parts of the legs and thighs are rec- 
oned in the following manner : 

1. The stifle, or stifle joint, which is the 
first joint or bending at the buttock and 
above the thigh. 

2. The thigh or that part betwixt the stifle 
and the gambril. 

3. The gambril, or elbow, is that joint or 
bending of the upper part of the hind leg 
that bends backwards, wheretis the bend of 
the stifle comes forwards. 

4. The ham and bight, or bought, or the 
inward bending of the chambril. The ben- 
ding of the knees in the fore legs are like- 
wise characterised by the same name. 

5. The hough, leg, or shank. This 
reaches from the chambril to the fetlock, or 
pastern joint. 

6. The small of the legs, is the smallest 
part of both the fore and hind legs. 

7. The foul of the legs. 



236 Carvef'^s Farrier, 

8. The back sinews, which are the back 
parts of the legs, just above the fetlocks. 

9. The pastern joint, fetlock, or ancle, 
is the joint in the fetlock which in all the 
feet bends forward. 

10. The coronet is the foot above the 
hoof of the ancle joint, and is called by the 
same name in all the feet. 

11. The curb. 

12. The shoulder is that part which ex- 
tends from the withers to the top part of the 
fore thigh. 

13. The thigh reaches from the bent of 
the thigh to the knee. 

14. The off legs are those on the right 
side, and the near legs those on the left, 
which is likewise called the rising side. 

The feet consist of the following parts : 

1. The hoof or horn. 

2. The coffin, or the hollow of the hoof in 
which the foot is fixed. 

3. The frush, or that tender part of the 
hoof next to the heel. 

4. The sole of the foot. 

5.. The frog, or as some call it, the ball of 
the foot. 

6. The riff of the hoof, or the part that is 
paared or cut off when grown too long be- 
twixt the frush and the heeL 



Carver^s Farrier. 237 

7. The heel, or the rising in the middle 
of the sole. 

8. the toes, or fore parts of the hoofs. 

9. The quarters, or insides of the hoofs. 

10. The pastern, or that part which reach- 
es from the fetlock to the hoof. 

The parts of a horse's body which many 
people suppose most proper to draw blood 
away from, are the following : 

1. The jugular veins, which lie on each 
side of the neck, and these are commonly 
opened for the farcy, mange, repletion, &c. 

2. When a bite or blow has been receiv- 
ed in the eye, it is usual to take away blood 
from the temples with a very small lancet. 

3. Farriers have a lancet made on pur- 
pose for opening the veins under the tongue 
which operation they perform for head-achs 
or for being disgusted or overheated with 
hard labour, as likewise for the vives, &c. 

4. It is usual to bleed horses in the gris- 
tle of the nose for the same complaints, but 
it is sometimes rather a difficult matter to 
hit the vein. 

5. Some let horses blood in the middle of 
the palate, either with a lancet or sharp horn 
for the same disorders. 

6. Blood is taken from the veins in the 



238 Carver* s Farrier* 

thi^h for strains in the shoulders, or for the 
mange in those parts. 

7. Horses are bled in the pasterns with 
either a fleam or a lancet, for strains, or other 
infirmities of the hams or knees. 

8. They are likewise let blood in the toes 
with a buttress or drawing-knife, for swell- 
ings in the legs, and the like. 

9. The veins in the flanks are sometimes 
opened with a small lancet made on purpose 
for the farcy in the adjacent parts. 

10. Sometimes blood is drawn with 
fleams from the flat part of the thighs, for 
blows or strains in the haunches ; and 

11. They sometimes bleed horses in the 
tail or dock, with a long lancet, for fevers 
and short or thick-windedness ; it is, howe- 
ver, a matter of little moment, some few 
cases excepted, from what part of the body 
blood is drawn, notwithstanding the diver- 
sity of opinions entertained about itc 



SIGNS OF DISEASE IN HORSES. 

The first symptom of indisposition in 
these creatures is their loathing their food, 
and whenever this takes place, the master 



Carver'* s Farrier. 239 

t)f the beast should take the alarm, and en- 
deavour to find out the cause, that a timely 
remedy may be applied. In order to do 
this, observe if he looks wild and haggard 
or dull and stupid, also whether his ears are 
cold or warm, his mouth hot, foaming, dry, 
or clammy ; or if the hair about hisfianks is 
rough and staring, and his dung hard, or 
black, or of a greenish cast, or his urine 
pale and like water ; from which appearan- 
ces you will be enabled, in some measure, 
to judge of the nature of the complaint, and 
of the consequences with which it is likely 
to be attended. 

When a horse that has been long ill stales 
without striding, or even witliout drawing 
his sheath, letting the water drop from the 
skin, it is almost a sure indication of death, 
unless, as is the case with some horses, they 
have been accustomed to stale in this man- 
ner when they were in health. 

It is likewise a bad sign when the hair on 

his scull, or that on his tail, can be easily 
pulled off. 

Another dangerous symptom is, that if a 
horse never lying down during his illness, 
or if he does, starting up again immediately ; 
such horses seldom recovering. 



240 Carvefs Faarier, 

When the eyes of a horse are subject to 
weep, and he hangs down his head and ap- 
pears heavy, stumbles as he walks, and is 
slow, though he used to be lively and vigor- 
ous, never minds Jther horses, frequently 
lies down and gets up again, looks towards 
his flanks, and is indifferent and mindless of 
what is done about him, that horse is in dan- 
ger. 

But to speak more particularly, if a horse 
is heavy ia the countenance, much scoured 
or very costive, short of breath, troubled 
with a hollow cough, works in the flanks, 
and hangs down his ears, it is a fever ; and 
sometimes these symptomes are the fore- 
runners of the staggers. 

When a horse turns his head back fre- 
quently to his right side it indicates some 
obstruction, or disease of the liver ; but 
when he puts it down, almost under his bel- 
ly, it is a sign that he is troubled with worms 
or bots, or else that he is afllicted with pain 
in his bowels from the cholic, or some other 
cause. 

A stinking breath, or foul matter proceed- 
ing from the nostrils, indicates an ulcer or 
imposthume in the head ; and if the matter is 
black, white, or yellow, and very offensive, 



Carver^ s Farrier, 241 

it is a fatal sign, as it shews that the glanders, 
or a consumption of the lungs, are the occa- 
sion. 

The breath, or body being very hot, indi- 
cates a feverish disposition, or a preternatu- 
ral heat at the stomach ; and the tongue 
hanging out, and being swelled, betokens an 
inflammation of the liver, or some other of 
the principal viscera. The strangles occa- 
sion a horse to heave violently in the flanks, 
as likewise do most feverish complaints. 
Sometimes however, this symptom is owing 
to the horse's wind being touched, or bro- 
ken. 

A swelling under the throat, attended 
with a continual propensity to cough, is a 
sign that the glanders are to be feared ; if 
the swelling is about the root of the tongue 
perhaps the strangles are the sole cause of 
it ; and if there is nothing but little knots, 
like waxen-kernels, they may have been oc- 
casioned by a common cold, without indi- 
cating any disease whatever. Whenever a 
horse appears scabby, and looses the hair 
from his body and neck, it is a certain sign 
that he has got the mange ; and ulcers, full 
of knots, spreading about the veins, charac- 
terise the farcy, or canker. 

X 



242 Carver^s Farrier, 

When the left side swells without any ap- 
parent external cause, there is reason to sus- 
pect that the spleen is diseased. The cho- 
lic will sometimes occasion a tumour in the 
flank, and it is a common case to see the bel- 
ly and legs of such horses as are inclined to 
be dropsical, swell, and become much larger 
than they were in a state of health. 

When a horse's coat stares and is rough 
it may be owing to being badly cloathedand 
looked after, but is not unfrequently the ef- 
fect of a bad stomach, or the symptom of a 
foundering in the chest. Leanness and 
gauntness are generally accompanied by hide 
bound, inflammation of the liver, chest foun- 
dering, worms, cholic, or the yellows ; stal- 
ing with difiiculty is a symptom of the stone 
or wind cholic ; and if the urine he passes 
be thick, and of a blackish colour, it indi- 
cates that one or both of the kidnies are 
diseased. 

Trembling is indicative of a fever, par- 
ticularly when a horse shivers violently 
after drenching. Scouring indicates great 
heat in the liver, and costiveness is a sign of 
the yellows, or other diseases of the gall and 
liver. 

If you see a horse frequently striking at 



Carver\s Farrier. 243 

his belly, you may conclude that he has got 
the cholic ; but if at the same time he frisks 
his tail, it betokens his being infested with 
worms or bots. 

When a horse that has been some time 
sick, stales clear, and there is no sediment 
formed therein on its being set by, it is rath- 
er a dangerous symptom, but if it turns of a 
reddish or yellowish colour, and has a cloud 
swiming in it that is neither black nor 
earthy, and deposits a kind of brickdust- 
like sediment, smelling strong at the same 
time, it is a good sign in general, and is fre- 
quently the prelude to a speedy recovery. 

If at different periods of the disease it 
varies greatly, sometimes appearing of an 
healthy aspect, and at others quite the re- 
verse, there is danger to be apprehended 
as it is a sure indication that there is a con- 
siderable degree of malignity in the disease. 
The best appearances of a horse's urine are 
a yellowish colour, a thickish consistence, a 
strong smell, and penetrating quality, for 
these all betoken health and vigour, whereas 
the contrary of any of these indicate ap- 
proaching disease. 

But there is nothing by which an intelli- 
gent person can judge better, respecting the 



244 Carver'* s Farrier* 

health of his horses, than by their dunging. 
For the colour and consistence of a horses ex- " 
crements, are sure indications of the inward 
state of his body, and ought to be well at- 
tended to when he is in his best health, and 
at best feeding, that when he is found to 
alter therefrom in any particular, a judgment 
may be the better and more clearly formed 
respecting his health or sickness. The 
dung of a horse that is' clean, well fed, 
and free from disease, will ever be found 
clear, crisp, and of a pale yellowish hue, 
hanging together, and not easily separating 
more than as it is broken in falling to the 
ground by its own weight, and is of such 
a consistence that it will be a little flatted by 
its fall to the ground. If his first and second 
dung be well coloured, and yet fall from him 
in round pellets or scybals, and the rest be 
good, there is no harm to be dreaded, for 
this is only an indication that he has been 
eating hay lately, which will always produce 
this effect, but if all his dung is of that 
hard kind, it betokens foul feeding, and that 
he has eaten too much litter or hay, and too 
little corn. When a horse^s dung is voided 
in round hard pellets, of a dark blackish 
brown colour, it discovers inward heat of 



Carver^s Farrier, 245 

the body ; if it be greasy, it is a sign of 
great foulness. Again, if the dung be 
strong and hard, it indicates that his heats 
have been too violent, and if care is not ta- 
ken to prevent it, costiveness will ensue. 
If it be pale and loose, it shows he has had 
too much moist and corrupt feeding, or that 
his body is inwardly cold. 

The disease of the Mouth and Tongue, is 
indicated by an inflammation of the lungs and 
throat, attended with a violent fever, difficul- 
ty of breathing and loss of appetite ; the head 
and throat swelled, the jaws stiffened, and 
the tongue swelled, and looking like that of 
a person having the yellow fever or the small 
pox, and the pulse will beat fifty strokes a 
minute instead of forty, as it should do in a 
state of good health. 

After all that can be said on this head, the 
most experienced farrier will frequently find 
himself at a loss to distinguish one complaint 
from another, as he has nothing to assist 
him in making the discovery but his own 
judgment, and such symptoms as are most 
predominant at the time, many of which 
are common to several diseases. It is well 
however, in such doubtful cases, to be ac- 
quainted with all the principal symptoms 

x2 



246 Carver^s Parrier. 

with which the diseases of this noble animal 
are accompanied, as such a knowledege, 
though it will not always prove an infallible 
guide, will give the person who possesses 
it a decided superiority over him that has 
neglected to make so useful an acquirement 
his own. 



CONCLUSION. 

Every person that has had a long expe- 
rience and is acquainted with the power of 
drugs, from his own knowledge must be 
aware of the extreme difficulty of ascertaining 
their medicinal properties, and their effects 
on different constitutions, and also in the dif- 
ferent stages of the same disease. There ai'e 
many circumstances to which the practition- 
er does not, or perhaps cannot sufficiently at- 
tend ; which vary their operation and effects, 
and is frequently disappointed in his calcula- 
tions and expectations of those medicines with 
which he is best acquainted. 

Thus briefly, I have thought necessary to 
inform gentlemen of the great uncertainty 
of medicines in general ; to the end that they 
may not be imposed on by the trifling reas- 
onings of those who pretend to the healing 
art in horses ; and who are often pouring 
down nauseous drenches into the stomach of 
the animal, and if he was not almost proof 
against them, he could never bear the attacks 
of those combustibles. It is the judicious 
timing and adapting the medicine to the na- 



248 Carver"* s Farrier. 

ture -of the disease, that will constitute a 
beneficial remedy. 

It has often occured to me, that if a few 
young men in this country would turn their 
attention to the cultivation of this important 
branch of science, and make the veterinary 
art their study, they might become useful to 
the community and rise to opulence, by the 
profession. There are many who have good 
educations, and although there are no vete- 
rinary colleges in this country they might 
derive the necessary information from the 
study of the most celebrated authors, such 
as Barcken, Gibson, Bartlet, Taplin, &c. and 
the books of the veterinary college at Lon- 
don, written by Mr. Blame. These gentle- 
men W'ere all surgeons and physicians, and 
thought is no disparagement to make the 
anatomy and economy of the horse their 
study. By a proper application to these 
works, a young man, even of ordinary capa- 
city, might in a short time become a profi- 
cient in Farriery. While a great number of 
coxcombs are boasting of their diplomas and 
smattering of Latin, Stc. and at the same time 
are destitute of a knowledge of the laws of 
nature ; a young man, by attending to the 
works, which I have just mentioned, might 



Carver^ s Farrier, 249 

rise superior to all their bombast, and as I 
before observed acquire an ample fortune. 
It is by the study of those books, and an ex- 
tensive practice that I have obtained a knowl- 
edge of the horse. 

The receipts which I have given, I hope 
will not be thought too numerous or compli- 
cated. I have avoided as much as possible 
a numerous composition of drugs and herbs, 
such as most authors have prescribed ; and 
for this reason, that before they could be 
obtained and prepared, the horse would be 
dead ; almost all the medicines which I have 
recommended can easily be procured, and 
administered in a short space of time ; be- 
sides, there is a difficulty in adjusting the 
quantities and qualities of drugs, even among 
persons w^ho are well acquainted with them. 
In short I have endeavoured to prescribe the 
cure by the most expeditious method pos- 
sible. 

It cannot be expected that an extensive 
prosrress in the art of Farriery can be made 
in this country, until some ingenious young 
men apply themselves to the study of the 
anatomy and dissection of the horse in all 
his parts. This alone will unfold to their 
minds a new scene of contemplation, instruc- 



250 Carver^s Farrier, 

tion and delight. They will then behold 
the wonderful works of nature in the forma- 
tion of that noble and valuable animal, and 
exclaim with Galen, who was said to have 
been an atheist, on his finding a human skele- 
ton ; — This said he is of too great a construc- 
tion to be the production of chance. By- 
pursuing this laudable method, the young 
student will be led to dissect other animals 
and become acquainted with comparative 
anatomy. He may become an ornament to 
society in his day and generation ; and it 
will lead him to contemplate nature and her 
immutable laws, and without a knowledge 
of those laws, the greatest professional cha- 
racter must be an ignoramus. 

As the first edition of this work was dis- 
posed of in the course of eight months, it was 
thought advisable to publish a second, under 
the impression that the first met the appro- 
bation of the public. It will be found that 
the second far exceeds the first in point of 
size ; and contains an original treatise on the 
subject of the origin, progress, and mode of 
treatment to be observed in the distemper 
that has recently made its appearance among 
horses, in Pennsylvania, N. York, and several 
other states. The present edition is em- 



Carver^ s Farrier. 251 

bellished with three excellent engravings on 
wood, of the skeleton of the horse, exhibiting 
a clear and comprehensive view of the intes- 
tines, and another showing the age of the 
horse by his teeth. 

It will be of the utmost importance fofthe 
reader to attend to the chapter on alteratives, 
and particularly to the use of nitre, as by 
practical experience, I have given to the 
quantity of half a pound per day, particularly 
in fevers and inflammatory cases, with good 
eflfect. Almost all physicians have attacked 
the solids, and neglected too much the fluid 
system. 

Hoping this work may prove of utility to 
the owners and lovers of horses, the author 
takes his leave of the public, and subscribes 
himself 

Their obedient servant, 

WILLIAM CARVER. 
New York, May, 1820. 



